Each Other's Comfort
by Danni1989
Summary: When Elena Gilbert meets Damon Salvatore, she's not looking for anything romantic. She just started her 4th new school in as many years and she's a vampire, along with dealing with her father's sudden disappearance. Will they be able to make their love work? Will Elena finally find a place to call home?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Here is the first chapter of my new multi-chapter fic. The entire story is written so there shouldn't be too much of a wait between chapters. The story is about 15 chapters long, but that could change depending on how I feel about the story as I post. I hope you enjoy this and as always let me know what you think.**

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"Welcome to Mystic Falls High School," is what the sign outside my brand new school said as I stood in front of it my first day. At least this time I had Caroline by my side. It was my fourth new school in as many years, being a new vampire makes it hard to blend in. The year I became a vampire, three years ago I took a bite out of a student. It took a healthy dose of compulsion to make everyone forget that one. That was in New York. The year later I was in San Francisco and I thought I could trust someone. I was totally in control and I fell in love. I told him what I was and showed him my fangs, needless to say he tried to have me committed as a monster so my father and I ran. Last year we were in Atlanta and the only good thing to come from Atlanta was Caroline Forbes. She was just like me in that she was a vampire. Things were going well, at least until my dad up and disappeared. He didn't even leave me a note. It was unlike him but he had been acting weird for a while. I didn't know where he was and if he was coming back but it was time to run. This time instead of it being my father and I, it was Caroline and I. We considered packing up and moving to another large city, somewhere where blending in wouldn't be a problem. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that hiding somewhere small would be the way to go. No one would think of looking for us in non-descript Mystic Falls Virginia. Besides there was no record of Caroline and I even existing as vampires, my father kept my records completely sealed. As far as anyone knew there never was an accident three years ago. My accident was completely stricken from the record. My name was simply Elena Gilbert and I was just a typical teenage girl. Here in Mystic Falls no one would ever find out that my life wasn't as simple as it seemed. I would just have to take care not to make the same mistakes I made in either of my other homes.

"So are you ready for this Lena?" Caroline asked me. She didn't have to come with me here but I was glad she did. I didn't want to go through life completely alone. Without my father I didn't know what to do.

"I'm glad you're with me Caroline. I'm as ready as I ever am." I told her, clutching my forged forms to enter the school. I had gotten good at forging my father's signature. He insisted I learn in case something ever happened to him. The idea of something happening to the most important person in my world caused my stomach to churn.

"I wouldn't ditch you. Especially not now after your father disappeared. So what do we do first?" She asked and I smiled.

"We go to the office and check in, get our timetables and stuff. Then we start trying to fit in. We need to prove to them that we're normal teenage girls." I told her and she nodded.

"Normal I can do. I've been pretending to be normal for almost five years now. I can do high school like you wouldn't believe. If you don't mind I really think we should check into being cheerleaders." She suggested.

"Cheerleaders really?" I asked with my eyebrows raised as we started walking into the school.

"Yeah. Cheerleaders are popular. If there is someone out there looking for us then it's best we fit in. They're not going to be checking every single popular cheerleader in the continental US. They'll be looking for the girls standing out." She said and I agreed she had a point. I wasn't convinced someone was after us but for Caroline's sake I wanted her to think there was. Blending in wasn't Caroline Forbes's strong suit.

"But cheerleading? Really?" I pleaded hoping there was another option.

"Well cheerleaders and hot jocks are the blending in way to go." She said and I laughed. I knew Caroline so I knew she wouldn't have a problem getting a boyfriend. I on the other hand found it hard to connect after San Francisco. I felt deep in my soul if I still had one that anyone I started trusting would betray me in the end. All I had in this world was Caroline, and until I got my dad back she was all I would need.

"Hello dears can I help you?" The secretary asked me. I offered her a bright smile and turned to Caroline.

"My friend and I just transferred here from Atlanta. You're supposed to have gotten our files from them? Our names are Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes." I told her and she filed through the files on her desk.

"Ah yes here you are. Here are your locker locations and combinations. Your timetables." She said sliding papers across the counter for us.

"Thank you so much." I said offering her another bright smile.

"Ah yes just in time Mr. Donovan." She said when a sandy brown haired guy came into the office. He offered Caroline and me a smile before turning to the secretary whose name I never bothered to get. "Matt here is going to give you a quick tour of the school."

"Shall we head on out?" He asked us and we both nodded. Caroline gave him a flirty smile and sidled up close to him.

"So you're our guardian angel, are you?" She asked coyly as I rolled my eyes and followed them out of the office.

"I guess if that's how you want to look at it. I'm just here to show you around." He told her with a blush. I also found the blush completely adorable but it appeared that Caroline was already smitten. It didn't take much for her.

Matt walked us through the hallways pointing out the rooms on our timetables. Caroline and I had study hall together at the end of the day but aside from the mornings and lunch it was the only time we'd see each other all day.

"So what brings you two to Mystic Falls?" Matt asked and I smiled because this was a question I had a prepared answer for.

"My father got a job at Whitmore College but he didn't want me living in a bigger city again so he moved us here. He's just gone a lot. He depends on me and Caroline to take care of ourselves." I told him.

"I know how that is. My mother only shows up once in a while. I pay the bills and go to school. So why didn't your dad want you in a bigger city? You're going to find Mystic Falls boring if you've ever lived anywhere bigger." He asked.

"I don't have a good track record with bigger cities and bigger schools. This is my fourth new school in four years. So we're trying something new this time around." I told him. His questions weren't invasive they were just friendly.

"So why are you two living together? I just don't hear about too many teenage best friends moving in together around here." Matt asked Caroline.

"Elena and I met last year and I wasn't in a good situation at home so Mr. Gilbert offered to take me in. I didn't want him doing me a favour because I'm very independent but he convinced me by saying he didn't want Elena living alone so often." She told him our predetermined story.

"It's good you want to stick by your friend like that." He told her as we stopped in front of the library.

"Thanks. So do you have any idea if we can audition for cheerleading?" She asked hopefully.

"Ah cheerleaders? You want to cheer your school Timberwolves to victory? I happen to be the quarterback." He said and Caroline grinned.

"Really? So auditions?" She probed.

"I'll talk to my girlfriend Rebekah about it. She's the captain of the squad." He told her and Caroline visibly wilted.

"Captain of the cheerleaders and the quarterback of the team. Sounds like a match made in heaven." She said inserting her typical cheeriness into her voice.

"It really is. She's amazing." He said she smiled.

"Well we should really get to class. Let us know about those cheerleading spots." She said cheerfully.

"Have you led cheer before?" He asked and Caroline and I both nodded. We were cheerleaders at our last school, I wasn't overly fond of it but Caroline loved it. I still wasn't convinced it was going to help us blend in, but it was worth a try. Her argument was logical. "Then I'm sure you'll get on the squad. We're short a couple girls this year."

"Thank you Matt. It was great to meet you." I said before gently pushing Caroline in the opposite direction that I was heading. Matt waved goodbye and walked in the other direction.

When I got into the classroom as always everyone looked at me. It was something I was used to being the new girl all the time.

"Can I help you?" My history teacher said and I smiled.

"My name is Elena Gilbert, I appear to be in this class." I told him.

"Ah yes, Miss Gilbert. You do appear to be in this class. Well take the one open desk and look at your partner's text book until I can get you one." He said as I sat down in the vacant seat. All the heartbeats in the room didn't even affect me. Blood pumping in veins wasn't a problem for me anymore. The problem for me was the intoxicating smell of the cologne next to me. It was musky and fresh. He could be a problem for me.

"Elena Gilbert meet Damon Salvatore. He's going to be your partner for the semester. Damon meet Elena, despite your best wishes you aren't alone this semester." Mr. Saltzman said.

"Hi. I'm Elena." I greeted him and he just glared.

"I'm Damon and if you think I'm going to do your work for you this semester you've got another thing coming." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Well you're certainly not the friendliest guy in the world. Who peed in your cheerios?" I demanded sarcastically.

"I just don't choose to associate with preppy bitch cheerleaders." He hissed and I rolled my eyes again.

"You know there happens to be more than meets the eye but for the sake of arguing, I don't hang out with surly loners." I said sitting back in my seat and peering at his text book which thankfully he slid across to me.

It was a long hour and when the bell finally rang I packed up my books and tried to flee.

"Don't worry, you'll catch up. Damon is brilliant." Mr. Saltzman said and I shook my head.

"I'm not really behind. I learned enough and besides even if I was behind I wouldn't need his help. I'm quite adept on my own." I told him. He flipped through a file on his desk and chuckled.

"I'd say you're very adept at history. You'll be just fine." He said when he saw my A plus in the class last year.

"I enjoy history. It interests me." I answered with a shrug.

"Well I hope to keep it interesting for you Elena. I'll have a text book for you tomorrow." He said as he finally dismissed me.

Thankfully Damon wasn't in anymore of my classes before lunch. When the bell rang I walked to the cafeteria where Caroline said to meet her. I found her surrounded by a bunch of jocks. Caroline was holding court, that didn't take long.

"Elena, get your ass over here." Caroline called and I walked over. "Guess what? Guess what?"

"What?" I asked with a grin. Matt was at the table as well with who I assumed was Rebekah his girlfriend and captain of the cheerleaders.

"We're officially cheerleaders." She said and I fought back my reflex eye roll.

"Great." I said masking my sarcasm so only Caroline could hear it. She rolled her eyes at me and I sat down and picked at the lunch she had bought me. I used to love pizza but now it didn't hold the same fascination with me. Now blood held that spot of honour in my stomach. It wasn't fair. Life really wasn't fair.

"Hi." A sandy haired guy said sitting down next to me and I offered him a small smile.

"Hi." I greeted.

"My name is Stefan, and you are?" He asked.

"Elena." I answered. Stefan was so much like the guy from San Francisco. There was no way I could ever get close to him.

"So how are you liking Mystic Falls so far Elena?" He asked and I laughed.

"It's small but I like it." I told him and Caroline nodded encouragingly as she turned to a dark haired jock.

"It is small, but it's all a lot of us have ever known. My brother and I were born here." He told me and I nodded politely.

"I was born in New York." I told him and he smiled.

"You really are a big city girl. What brought you here?" He asked and I smiled.

"My dad is a professor at Whitmore. But he wanted me and Caroline to live somewhere small and safe." I told him.

"Well you're certainly not going to find anywhere smaller or safer than Mystic Falls. Nothing ever happens here." He laughed and I smiled. I hoped he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the response to the first chapter. I'm glad you're liking it so far. As always let me know what you think about this installment.**

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"So did you like him?" Caroline probed when we walked to my car at the end of the day.

"Who?" I asked.

"Stefan? It would be so cool if we could both date football players." She said and I shook my head.

"I'm not into Stefan." I told her and she wilted.

"Why not? You have to date or else people are going to notice." She said and I shook my head again.

"Me dating is not something people are going to notice Care. Besides you know Stefan isn't my type." I told her.

"Is he?" Caroline asked pointing across the parking lot.

"Ew no. If he wasn't so vile he could be. His car is hot. He's hot but his personality really needs some work." I said and she laughed.

"So you've met him I take it?" She asked laughing.

"Yeah he's my seatmate in history. I think Mr. Saltzman has an evil side pairing us together. Apparently he's brilliant and I know I'm brilliant. It's not going to end well." I said as we saw Stefan walk up to Damon. Stefan said something and Damon shook his head as they both got into the electric blue Chevy.

"Lucky you. Maybe you'll get to tap that by the end of the semester." She said and I rolled my eyes.

"There will be no tapping that." I responded.

"Come on Lena, vampires have sex with humans. They just have to be more careful. Vampires are not meant to be celibate." She whined and I laughed.

"Let's just get home. I want to do my homework. Homework Caroline. That is normal." I said and she shrugged climbing into the passenger seat.

"So tell me, if hottie's personality was better, would you tap that?" She asked and I laughed and shook my head.

"Let's not talk about Damon." I said and she laughed.

"So hottie does have a name. Damon, it suits him." He said as we drove out of the parking lot behind Damon and his hot car.

"Changing the subject, what about you and the jock?" She asked.

"His name is Tyler and he's gorgeous. He invited us to a party his family is having Friday night. Apparently he's the mayor's kid and they have dinner parties almost every weekend." She told me. I groaned as we drove, I hated parties unless I could get smashed and have sex. Neither of those things were happening at this party unfortunately.

"I hate parties Care." I begged but I knew that she wouldn't let me out of it.

"You have to come to this one. People are expecting you to be there." She told me and I sighed.

"For the sake of fitting in, I'll be there. But I'm going to hate every second." I warned her and she giggled and leaned over to hug me as I drove. An accident wouldn't kill either of us but I still liked driving safe. The idea of a car accident still made me sick to my stomach. One just doesn't get over the thing that technically killed them.

We moved into a normal house with a front porch. It even had a swing on one side of the porch and it reminded me of a place I would have lived in with my family before everything went wrong. We chose it only because it blended. No one would question us living there as long as they kept believing that my dad lived here sometimes too.

"Are you really going to do homework?" She asked when we walked into the house.

"I am really going to do homework. I want to succeed." I told her and she sighed and flopped onto the couch dramatically. The house wasn't huge but it was huge to two teenage girls when it was just them. There were four bedrooms so it felt empty when there was no one else.

"Maybe I'll give Tyler a call, see if I can talk him into asking me out." Caroline said skipping out of the room.

"You do that. I'm not wasting my time on boys this time around." I muttered as I looked at the homework assigned to me. My calculus teacher was an asshole who assigned me three pages of work that I didn't understand the first time I took it.

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Later in the week Stefan invited me over to his house so I could help him with a writing project. I agreed only because Caroline forced me. She told me even if I couldn't like him romantically I should like him as a friend.

"Thanks for driving me home." Stefan said. He was a year younger than Caroline and I but he played on the team so that made him an honorary member of the group.

"No problem, I was coming with you anyway." I said with a shrug. He got out of my car and led me up the steps to the grand house. I've been very clear that I'm not looking for a boyfriend but I know Stefan likes me as more than friends. I just have to keep it strictly platonic and it's not hard. There are no butterflies and no sparks between us. Even Damon and I had more sparks and he's pretty much the vilest person I've ever met. He's still far from polite. It's an improvement when he decides it's a good day to ignore me completely. I'm sure there's a reason for his asshole-ness but as of now I don't know what it is.

"Come on in." He invited me in and I was relieved. As a vampire I couldn't enter the premises until I was invited. It made moving into my house difficult because the realtor had to invite us in before anything else could happen.

"Thanks." I said stepping across the threshold without being held back. I could hear shouting clear as day further into the house and Stefan paled.

"I'm sorry about that. At least they're keeping the volume down today." He said and I smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's not the first time I've ever heard fighting." I told him and he shook his head.

"They're not fighting. He's trying to deal with one of my mom's episodes." Stefan replied and I didn't ask what he meant. It was his business and I didn't want to impose.

"Let's get to work." I suggested as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Footsteps wasn't the right word for it, it was more stomps. It honestly sounded like whoever it was, was going to go through the floor.

"Who the hell is this Stefan?" Who I assumed to be Stefan's dad demanded.

"My friend Elena, she's helping me with homework." Stefan answered.

"I told you, no one is ever to come over here. You know why. This girl could tell everyone what she hears and sees." He roared and I looked at him.

"I have nothing to say to anyone else about this home." I told him.

"You better not tell anyone anything girl. I can be a very formidable enemy." He threatened me but I wasn't afraid. "Where the fuck is Damon?"

"I'm here." Damon replied coming through the door. His gaze darkened when he saw me sitting there with Stefan so I opted not to say anything to him. Before his father started yelling at him, a woman with dishevelled hair and a dirty nightgown came downstairs, dancing through the room.

"Hello there, my name is Lily Salvatore, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance." She said holding out her hand like someone would a long time ago. She wanted me to kiss the back of her hand. She spoke like she was from a different era. She twirled holding the edge of new nightgown out and I could see that she thought she was wearing a beautiful ball gown. Damon had completely paled and Stefan was taking it well. I played along and kissed the back of her hand and greeted her.

"It's time for the young lady to leave, Stefan." His father said his voice tight. I nodded and stood up, this was a huge secret and I understood why they wanted no one to know. The woman was completely insane.

"I'll see you at school." I said walking to the door. When I got outside I could hear his father start yelling at Stefan about inviting someone over when he knew the rules.

"Don't tell anyone about what you saw in there." Damon told me stepping around from the side of the house. I didn't know when he had disappeared but I didn't blame him. I couldn't stand to be around my mother if she was like that either. I was lucky that my mom was as normal as you could get, well besides the fact that she abandoned me.

"I won't. So what's wrong with her?" I asked him and he sighed.

"Why should I tell you?" He asked and I shrugged.

"You don't have to Damon. I'm just curious, I've never seen that before. She thought she was somewhere else didn't she?" I asked.

"Why?" He asked.

"She was speaking from different era and she insisted I kiss the back of her hand. She was holding the hem of her nightgown like she would an elaborate ball gown." I told him.

"You're observant." He noted.

"I have my moments." I allowed, prompting him to continue.

"My mom has pretty intense and very real delusions. She sees whole worlds in place of the one she lives in. It's stressful because not all of them are as harmless as this one was. She's had visions where we're the enemy and she tries to kill us." He told me. I was impressed that he was talking to me. He always seemed to hate me, but if I were in his situation I wouldn't want friends like this either. Friends meant inviting people over.

"Isn't she on medication?" I asked.

"Yes but she doesn't like it. It makes her feel fuzzy so she doesn't take it unless we have to go out. We don't want anyone knowing there is anything wrong with our family so she gets doped up to go to the parties. Then it's back to normal." He told me. I could see he was uncomfortable talking about this so I put him out of his misery.

"I'm sorry about all of that, but I should go. You're not quite so vile when you're not glaring at me." I told him.

"You're less cheerleader than I thought initially. A cheerleader wouldn't have promised to keep quiet and actually want to know more." He agreed.

"That's the nicest thing you've said to me since we met." I laughed.

"I'm not nice to cheerleaders so don't get used to it. That's more Stefan's gig than mine." He said with a smile.

"I'm not nice to surly loners so don't get used to it." I responded before getting into my car.

When I got home Caroline was there looking through her closet for something to wear to the party tomorrow night.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I need the perfect dress. I intend on forcing Tyler to ask me out. How was working with Stefan?" She asked.

"It was fine. I actually talked to Damon for a while." I told her and she smiled.

"Are you planning on tapping that soon?" She asked with a grin.

"No I am not planning on sleeping with him. I hate that term Care." I reminded her and she laughed.

"Why do you think I use it?" She asked and I shrugged. She had a point. If we couldn't drive each other crazy, what else could we do?

"So what did you come up with to wear tomorrow night?" I asked her sitting down on her bed.

"Well I was debating between long maxi dress and short frilly pink dress." She said showing me both.

"The long maxi dress looks awfully familiar." I said about the dress I was relatively confident she picked out of my closet.

"Yes yes I may have borrowed it. I want to look hot for Tyler tomorrow night." She answered with a roll of her eyes.

"If you thought that dress would make you look hot maybe you should wear that one." I suggested to her.

"Of course you're right. You always are when it comes to my fashion dilemmas. So what are you wearing?" She asked me and I smiled.

"I'll decide tomorrow at the last minute." I said. It was how I got ready for all parties. I didn't like thinking about them too much.

"Our first game is Saturday so we can't stay out too late." She warned me and I rolled my eyes.

"We're vampires Caroline." I reminded her.

"I know but even so we still need our beauty sleep. Vampirism is not a fix all." She said with a roll of her eyes. We were both really bad for the habit but it was a reflex.

"Whatever you say Caroline. I'm going to do my homework since I didn't get to do it with Stefan." I said as I walked out of her room.

"Right, Stefan is your unofficial date for tomorrow night. You're both going stag so it makes sense." She called after me and I rolled my eyes yet again. I really wished she would stop setting me up with Stefan. Unfortunately for her it was never going to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you enjoy this update. Thanks for the reviews on my new story, it means the world to me. I'm glad you're all still enjoying it. Reviews are an authors way of knowing their work is having an impression on their readers, so I thank you all so much for liking my work so far.**

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The rest of the week went by without anything happening. My father never contacted me which was both bad and good. If he wasn't contacting me that meant that no one was after me but it made me worry about him. I'd already lost my mother and brother after I turned, I wasn't sure I could lose anyone else. My mom took my brother and ran after I transitioned. He said there was no way she could deal with being a mother to a vampire. My father stayed with me but now he was gone too. I couldn't help but wonder if he abandoned me. It was the option that made the most sense, I just couldn't tell Caroline that. I wanted her to keep believing that we had to keep hidden as well as possible. It was easier to convince her that there was someone after us, forcing us to blend in. Caroline hated blending, so it was the only way to keep her from going all out on being the popular girl. It wasn't a lie per se, it was a lie of omission.

"Elena, are you getting ready?" She called from her bedroom. She let me take the master bedroom because she claimed a second bedroom closet for her piles and piles of clothes. She said it was only fair since she needed two closets for her stuff. The second bedroom had been transformed into a dressing room. The only clothes in her bedroom were her pyjamas and underwear. Her two bedrooms were connected with a Jack and Jill bathroom that was all hers as well. She had a three room suite I had a master bedroom, with walk in closet and an en suite. We were spoiled teenage girls.

"Yes." I told her tugging at my black draped one shoulder dress. It hit the top of my knees and it was sexy but innocent at the same time. I did my hair in loose waves and slipped a pair of heels on my feet. They were peep toes so I made the effort to paint my toe nails a brilliant red colour. Red lipstick and dark eye make-up completed my look.

"Get out here so I can see how you look." She told me and I sighed and walked out of my bedroom. Her eyes widened and she nodded her head impressed. She acted like I didn't know how to dress up, I was actually quite good at it when I wanted to be.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her when I gave her a twirl so she could see me from all angles.

"I'm ready if you are." She told me and I smiled. Despite my constant whining about going to parties I really did enjoy them sometimes.

"So is your wonderful date meeting us there?" I asked her.

"Both of our dates are." She reminded me.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not romantically interested in Stefan?" I asked exasperated. Caroline didn't understand that I didn't need a boyfriend. I was really quite happy without one. There was less to worry about when you didn't have one. In my case I didn't have to worry about sprouting fangs during a hot make out session. The struggle was real.

"Well I'm hoping that Tyler decides he's like super-hot for me tonight so you can drive." She said and I chuckled.

"You're really going to have sex with a guy you're only going out on your first date with?" I asked.

"I really need some action, action from a real man." She told me and I fought the urge to gag.

"I really don't want to know what you get up to at night when you're alone in your room." I told her. There were some things you just didn't speak about, even to your best friend.

"Come on, it's not like you're completely celibate in that way either." She laughed.

"Maybe but I don't bring it up in conversation." I reminded her and she shrugged.

"You're my best friend, I think it's cool to talk about intimate stuff." She said and I just kept driving. When we got to the Lockwood house which was more of a manor than anything else we parked and got out. Tyler and Stefan were waiting at the door and I offered Stefan a small smile while Caroline walked up to Tyler in her flirty glory. She was damn good at this and I had no doubt she would be spending the night with Tyler tonight. He wouldn't be able to resist her when she was on her game like this.

"You look really nice Elena." Stefan told me and I thanked him and complimented him as well. It was the right thing to do. When we walked inside I saw Stefan and Damon's mom and dad mingling. Their mom was a completely different person when she was on her meds. She was happy and laughing.

"See how different she is when she's out?" He asked and I nodded.

"She's owning the room, that's for sure." I told him and he smiled.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked and I nodded. I sincerely hoped it was booze filled but knowing Stefan it probably wasn't. He was too good and too human to try to get alcohol for his date when all eyes were on him. He wanted to impress everyone around him by being the best that he can be. I respect that, it's just not my type. Stefan and I talked to Caroline and Tyler until they decided to go dance. Well Caroline decided, Tyler was just putty in her more than capable hands.

"Maybe I should introduce you to everyone you haven't met yet." He suggested and I nodded. I wasn't looking forward to rubbing elbows with all the rich and powerful of Mystic Falls. My hearing ranged over the entire room and I heard so many conversations all at once. Only a couple concerned me, like hearing the word vervain over and over again. I knew vervain to be an herb that was toxic to vampires, people took it to protect themselves from people like me. I had to be careful not to try to compel anyone here. It wouldn't end well. From the conversations I registered that there have been no vampire sightings for a long time and for the first time Mystic Falls was completely safe.

"Elena, this is Mayor Lockwood and his wife Carol. They are Tyler's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood this is Elena Gilbert, she's new here." He introduced us.

"Nice to meet you." I greeted them, shaking their hands.

"I hope you enjoy living here. It really is a wonderful town." Carol said and I smiled.

"I really am, it's just the kind of place I love. I've lived in so many big cities that I wanted something small." I told her.

"Where are your parents?" She asked.

"My dad works at Whitmore College, he bought a house for me and Caroline so we would be somewhere he thought safe. He comes home every once in a while." I told her.

"That's wonderful. I hope you enjoy Mystic Falls and you really should put your name in for the Miss Mystic Falls Competition. I believe you'd have a good chance to get selected." She told me patting my arm before she left.

"What the hell is Miss Mystic Falls?" I asked.

"Every girl puts her name in for it. You really should, it's just a pageant. You're beautiful enough to get in." He told me.

"I don't know, it doesn't really sound like my thing. I think I'm going to step outside for some air. I'll catch up with you. It's a bit stuffy in here." I said.

"I could come with you to keep you company." He offered and I shook my head.

"I'm fine. You should stay here with your friends, do me a favour and keep an eye out for Caroline. She's prone to acting stupid when she's trying to impress a guy." I told him and he laughed.

"That I can do." He said kissing the back of my hand. I smiled and walked out the front door. I stood on the stairs and looked outside. I really didn't want to be there.

"Planning your escape, cheerleader?" Damon asked coming to stand beside me.

"If I could I would but there's no getting out of this. I have nowhere else to go and I don't want to spend my Friday night alone at home." I told him.

"You look beautiful for what it's worth." He told me and I smiled at him.

"Thank you. Now why are you out here all alone?" I asked.

"I hate these things. I hate watching my mom act normal knowing it's not real. My entire family lives a lie and it pisses me off. I'm the only realist." He told me.

"Then why come at all?" I asked.

"I'm expected to. I'm timing my escape for when the alcohol starts flowing and I can make my escape without them noticing." He told me and I smiled.

"You've got this planned out." I said.

"Completely." He affirmed.

"You just going home to be alone?" I asked him. I wasn't giving him a hint or anything, I was just curious.

"Nope, I actually have something awesome I do every Friday night around ten. I'm just waiting for ten o'clock to hit so I can make my escape." He told me.

"Now I'm curious. Are you being purposefully vague?" I asked and he laughed.

"Not really I just don't talk about it around other people who would spill to my parents. Do you want to come with?" He asked and I smiled.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"Nope, you're just going to have to trust me." He said with a grin.

"Alright, it's got to be better than this." I decided. He flashed me a grin and stood up.

"Well then we better get going, you're not going to want to go in that." He said and I stood up. I followed him to his car and he started up the engine.

"You're going to have to tell me where you live." He said and I gave him the address. When he parked I invited him in and he went to sit on the couch.

"So what am I supposed to wear on this little outing?" I asked.

"Jeans and whatever else you girls pair with them." He told me and I laughed. I ran up the stairs to my room and pulled on a tight pair of dark wash skinny jeans and put my favourite boots on. I changed into a black lacy bra since the one I had on under my dress was strapless and a white tank top with my leather jacket. I added a scarf to finish the look off and loosened my curls.

"I'm ready." I said coming downstairs.

"That was fast cheerleader." He said and I smiled.

"I have a name you know." I reminded him and he laughed.

"I know you do, I just like cheerleader better right now. It's sort of ironic considering how not cheerleader-y you are." He said and I laughed.

"Let's get out of here." I said typing out a quick text message to Caroline. We always made sure to let each other know where we were going.

Damon drove down the highway until he found a mostly hidden turn onto a dirt road.

"Are you bringing me out here to kill me?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Nope, there are going to be a bunch of people out here." He said and I smiled. He was taking me to a real party. The closer we got to wherever we were going the louder it got. Music was blaring and the other telltale sounds of a party were present. "Ready?" Damon asked and I smiled and got out of the car when he parked. I walked beside him as we met up with the other people.

"Damon, you're later than usual. Katie was starting to worry." A big biker looking guy said.

"Tell Katie I'm here, but that she's not getting any action tonight. I brought a friend." He said grabbing my arm and leading me into the party. This didn't look like a party one of the members of a founding family would be frequenting but I was learning quickly to not assume anything about Damon. He led us over to the keg and poured me a beer.

"Ah you brought fresh meat I see. You do know that no matter who she is she still has to do the stand." A girl told Damon and he laughed.

"Come on Katie, we can make an exception this one time. It wasn't her idea to come out here. I brought her because she needed to be rescued from the Lockwood party." I insisted.

"No no, what's the stand?" I wanted to know. My status as a vampire made it so almost nothing was impossible for me. If there was an initiation to belonging out here I would do it. I already felt more at home with these people than I did with anyone else I've met so far.

"Elena you don't have to." Damon insisted.

"Come on Damon, what's the stand. I'm up for anything." I told him and he sighed.

"It's just a keg stand but everyone has to do it. I just don't want you so drunk you can't stand up straight within the first little while. I didn't bring you out here to make you do things you're not comfortable with." He said and I smiled at him. Katie rolled her eyes but I shook my head.

"Just because I'm a cheerleader at this school doesn't mean that's who I am. I had a pretty kickass party record when I was in San Francisco." I told him.

"So you think you can handle the stand?" He asked me.

"Not only can I handle the stand, I'm going to decimate all of your friends' records." I told him and Katie laughed.

"Okay, I am no longer pissed that you brought a date. She so belongs out here even if that means I'm never going to have sex with you again." She said offering me her hand and shaking it.

"For the record the keg stand record lies with me and you're never going to beat it." Damon whispered in my ear.

"Show me to the keg." I instructed and everyone whooped and parted to let me and Damon through. Everyone surrounded the keg, and I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. This was the kind of party I liked, not one where everyone was secretly judging everyone else. A couple big guys came up on either side of me to lift me upside down but I shook my head. "I am fully capable of getting myself up there all on my own." I said taking off my jacket and scarf before handing them to Damon.

"She's a Mystic Falls High cheerleader guys." He said and I smirked. This time he didn't say it like it was a bad thing so I rubbed my hands together and pushed myself until I was upside down on the keg. One of the guys put the spout to my lips and when I gave the thumbs up they turned it on. The big guy held my legs up because once the alcohol started flowing it was harder. I drank and drank and drank until the world started spinning, I didn't know how long I was up there for when they lowered my legs to the ground. I wobbled for a moment before regaining my balance. I noticed everyone was cheering and Damon looked completely shocked.

"I don't want to know how long I was up there for." I told them.

"All we'll tell you is that you decimated Damon's record." Katie said and I grinned.

"I guess it's time to party then." I said and the music started up again and everyone started dancing.

"That was incredible. How did you do that?" Damon asked and I shrugged.

"I have my ways." I said.

"So there's no way I'm going to be able to drive you home tonight. Are you alright camping out here with everyone else?" He asked and I smiled.

"Sounds like my kind of night." I said. I danced with everyone and we danced into the wee hours of the morning when the music finally died down and everyone chose a spot on the ground to sleep in. I chose a spot next to Damon and we fell asleep quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning I woke up to my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I had three missed text messages from Caroline, the first two were almost too detailed in describing her night with Tyler, and the third was an angry one because I disappeared on Stefan. I responded to her asking if she remembered my text from last night saying I was leaving. She left me alone after that because she knew I was right. I saw various hung over people getting up and leaving and laughed. I was fresh as a daisy, perks of being a vampire.

"Turn off the lights." Damon groaned from beside me and I laughed.

"We're outside. It's time to take me home." I said shaking him. He pried open an eye and winced.

"The sun should go to hell." He said and I laughed again.

"I agree but you have to take me home so I can get ready for the game." I told him and he sat up reluctantly.

"Yeah, I'd hate to deprive the Timberwolves of their cheerleader." He said brushing his clothes off and running a hand through his hair. He was so sexy in the morning and I was starting to like him as more than a friend.

"You should come to the game." I suggested.

"I've never been to a football game in my life. My brother would have a heart attack if he saw me." Damon told me and I smiled.

"Come on, you don't even have to watch the game. Watch the cheerleaders." I told him and he laughed.

"Honestly there is only one cheerleader I'd be watching. The rest are too preppy for my liking." He said and I smiled.

"Well come and watch me. We can hang out again after if you're game." I offered.

"I think I might be, as long as all the school spirit at the football game doesn't kill me first." He said and I laughed.

"Come on surly loner. Take me home before Caroline kills me." I urged standing up and brushing the dirt off of me. I held my hand out to him and helped him to his feet.

"Hangovers suck ass." He muttered.

"I can drive if you want. I'm not hungover." I offered.

"How the hell are you not hungover? You drank more than I did." He scoffed and I laughed.

"I have my ways. I'm a very experienced partier." I told him and he rolled his eyes.

"Do you know how to drive stick?" He asked holding his keys in hand.

"I'm quite adept at it actually. Don't worry your car is safe with me." I promised. He sighed and handed over his keys.

"Just know that if you crash or hurt her in any way I will never speak to you again. And you're paying for the repairs." He said. I held up two fingers in a Scouts honour and walked to his car. I was excited to drive the vintage Camaro. It was my kind of car, kind of like how Damon was my kind of guy. I definitely had a type and after last night it was clear that Damon was my type.

"Do you want me to drive you home and I can walk home from there?" I asked him.

"Nah, drive me to your house and then I'll be fine to drive from there." He said.

"I don't mind walking. It's not that long of a walk and I needed to get a work out in anyway." I offered.

"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded.

"Absolutely. I'm not afraid of a little walk. Besides I really don't want to get home too early or else I'll have to hear all about Caroline's night with Tyler." I winced.

"How the hell are the two of you friends? You're about as different as can be." He asked clearly confused. Caroline was everything Damon hated about popular girls.

"I think that's why we're friends. She's all bubbly, preppy and fun. I'm more serious but I enjoy having fun too. The truth is we're friends because she was there for me during a tough time. Now we're stuck together and I couldn't have asked for a better best friend." I told him.

"I'll have to take your word for it." He said and I nodded. I could understand that, only because he hasn't met the good side of Caroline Forbes yet. He hasn't met the caring friend, or the responsible vampire. He's only met the cheerleader.

I pulled his car into the driveway and we both got out.

"So thanks for taking me out last night. It was the most fun I've had since I got here." I confessed.

"No problem. I've been instructed to bring you back every single week now. They really liked you so I wouldn't make any plans Friday nights." He said and I laughed.

"Caroline makes all my plans so I'm pretty sure I can get out of them." I promised.

"Good. I guess I'll see you later." He said backing towards the house.

"You better. If I don't see you in the crowd at the game I will be pissed. You haven't had a cheerleader like me pissed off at you yet." I warned him.

"You were pretty pissed at me when we met." He reminded me and I laughed.

"Maybe but that wasn't mainly just irritation. I better go before Caroline starts panicking. She's not fun when she's panicky." I told him as I started backing down the driveway. He waved and I waved back. When the house was out of sight I picked up the pace until I was using vampire speed. It made the hour long walk only take about five minutes.

"Well the hell were you last night?" Caroline demanded as we drove to the school for the game a couple hours later.

"I was at a party with Damon." I told her rolling my eyes.

"Since when are you friends with him? You can't just abandon one guy to hang out with his brother." She scoffed.

"I'm friends with him fairly recently and I didn't want to be Stefan's unofficial date. I told you I'm not interested in him." I reminded her.

"Are you into Damon?" She asked.

"If you must know, I might be. I don't know for sure but there is something there. We just click." I told her.

"Alright fine. You click with Damon. But he's not the type that's going to keep you from being noticed. You should be dating Stefan." She told me.

"For the last time Caroline, no one cares about some teenagers dating life. Cheerleaders don't always date football players. That's a stereotype. Besides I'm not dating Damon, I'm just hanging out with him." I ranted.

"But you spent the night with him wherever you were." She tacked on and I sighed.

"We slept. He passed out and I slept like a baby. It was nice and before you ask there was no bedtime kiss and all clothes remained on except for my scarf which went missing after I asked Damon to hold it while I was doing the keg stand." I told her.

"You did a keg stand? That is so not very cheerleader-y." She said shaking her head.

"Fine, I'm not only a cheerleader. I am a multi-dimensional teenage girl. I am a cheerleader and I also enjoy partying with my other friends. To me that sounds like the perfect way to blend in." I told her annoyed at my friend. I was often equally annoyed with her as I loved her. It was the product of being best friends with someone who was almost my direct opposite. I parked the car in a spot close to the football field and got out. Most of the other cheerleaders were already there and so were the players. I didn't see Damon's Camaro anywhere and I pulled out my phone and sent him a threatening text message.

"Elena, what happened to you last night? You went outside to get some air and then you disappeared." Stefan said running over to me in his football gear.

"Sorry I disappeared. I just couldn't be there anymore." I told him with a shrug as if it didn't mean anything to me. Which it didn't.

"You could have told me and I could have come with you." He said.

"Don't worry about it. I was with Damon." I told him as I heard the rumbling engine pull up. I turned my head and grinned when I saw him get out of the car complete with a pair of sunglasses to block the light. I grinned and ran over to him in my cheerleader outfit and hugged him quickly.

"I can't believe I'm here. You look so school spirit-y." He teased. I smirked and did a little twirl.

"You like? I'm all full of school spirit today. You clearly have none though." He said gesturing to his lack of school colours. He was wearing black on black like he did every day. I nudged him with my hip as we walked towards the stands.

"What are you doing here Damon? You've never come to a game before." Stefan asked.

"I'm here to hang out with my favourite cheerleader and to get out of the house." He told his brother.

"Is mom bad again?" Stefan asked quietly.

"She doesn't know who we are today. She was treating me like I was a stranger." Damon told Stefan and I wished there was a way to fix it.

"Alright you take your seat. It's time we play a game." I urged Damon. He grinned and sat down on the end of one of the bleachers while I joined the rest of the cheerleaders and Stefan rejoined the team.

"Is there something going on with you and Stefan's brother?" Rebekah asked me with a smirk on her face.

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"Well he has never been to a game in all the time Stefan has been on the team. You show up and look who's here. It's suspicious, that's all." She giggled.

"We're just friends." I told them.

I knew I was showing off a little for Damon. My high-kicks were higher than usual and I was cheering louder. But in the end it paid off because the Timberwolves beat our rival team badly. The team was celebrating and I was pulled into the celebration with them by Caroline.

"You have to come to the Grill to celebrate. It's a team ritual." Stefan told me and I smiled.

"On one condition. I have to bring Damon, I told him we'd hang out after the game." I told Stefan.

"He can come, he's not going to fit in but he can come." Stefan shrugged. I weaved my way out of the crowd and ran over to the stands where Damon was standing up.

"So what's the plan?" He asked, his sunglasses still covering those gorgeous crystalline blue eyes. I had never seen a pair like them, ever. His eyes had the power to make me melt.

"If you're not opposed I apparently am required to join the team at the Grill for a post-game celebration." I told Damon.

"Ugh cheerleaders and jocks in one place." He groaned.

"Is that a no?" I asked.

"No, we'll go. Just know that I am a reluctant participant in these activities." He said throwing his arm around my shoulder. I laughed and let him lead me to his car. I tossed the keys to Caroline who was walking our way hand in hand with Tyler. She caught them with a sigh. I knew she was planning on driving over with Tyler.

"Can you bring me to pick up my car after?" I asked Damon after Caroline threw the keys back to me.

"Sure." He shrugged and I caught the keys and when I got into Damon's car tossed them into the center console.

The Grill was already busy when we got there. The team was ordering platters and platters of food when Damon and I sat down. He slung his arm around my shoulder again and I smiled, sliding closer to him on the bench so that Tyler and Caroline could slide in beside us.

"So Damon, are you and Elena dating?" Matt asked him.

"Just friends." Damon told them and I smiled at him. We were so more than friends but neither of us knew how to categorize it.

"That's good because we both know a Timberwolves cheerleader would never date the likes of you. She's going to date Stefan." Another player whose name I haven't gotten yet piped up.

"How do you know what I would date?" I demanded of him. I didn't like people making assumptions about me.

"You're a cheerleader. You're all the same." He laughed.

"Stay calm Lena." Caroline whispered under her breath loud enough for just me to say. She knew how I felt about guys like him.

"I suggest you shut your mouth right now." I told him my voice lower than it was. I was having an unreasonable reaction to him talking the way that he was. I hadn't had a reaction like this in so long and I think it's because I haven't fed recently. I needed to do that tonight or else things could get ugly.

"Stick to the status quo girlie." He sing-songed and I took a deep breath.

"This isn't high school musical douche." Caroline chimed in and I was thankful for her.

"But he's a little bit right Elena. The school needs more power couples like Matt and I. Stefan would be a wonderful boyfriend for you, especially since you and Damon are just friends." Rebekah chimed in kindly.

"I am not interested in Stefan. I'm sorry Stefan but it's true. I dated one of you before and it didn't end well for me, so I am really not interested." I told him angrily. I tried to keep calm but I wasn't able to. I needed to get out of there before I was running again. It wouldn't take much for me to rip the jocks heart out in the mood I was in.

"Elena maybe you should get some air. Your demon is too close to the edge." Caroline whispered. I knew that it was but I was good at controlling it. There was a reason I didn't want to hang out with people like the jocks. They pissed me off. I knew my anger was irrational but I couldn't help how I felt.

"Excuse me, I'm going to get some air." I announced and Caroline and Tyler moved to let me out. I rushed out of the restaurant but I heard footsteps behind me.

"Are you okay? You were really freaking out in there?" Damon asked.

"I'm fine. You should have stayed in there." I said biting back my beast. Now that I was out of there I was in control again. It was scary how easily my control could slip.

"And keep being surrounded my asshole jocks and preppy cheerleaders? No thank you." He said and I laughed.

"I'm sorry that they don't think you're good enough to hang out with them." I apologized.

"It's cool because I don't think they're good enough to hang out with me. But Elena you were really pissed in there. If it had anything to do with me, you don't have to defend me like that. I'm used to the people like them not liking me and I don't care." He told me and I smiled.

"I'm just tired. I was being irrational." I said with a shake of my head.

"Well you are a girl. I should learn to expect a little irrational behaviour from time to time." He teased and I laughed again. Around him I was able to keep my vampire side at bay. He made me feel human in ways that no one has in a long time. I haven't felt this human since I was human.

"Damon, thank you for cheering me up. But I have a question for you. Did you mean it when you said we were just friends?" I asked. I was laying all my cards on the table. I was falling for him and I wasn't in the business of denying myself the simple pleasures in life. I would just have to be more careful this time.

"I honestly don't know what we are. How I feel for you is definitely not just friendly." He told me and I smiled.

"Do you want to kiss me?" I asked him.

"I've wanted to kiss you since we had our first real conversation." He confessed and I laughed.

"Well I wanted to kiss you the second we met, until you opened your mouth." I said and he laughed. He took a deep breath and leaned in towards me. I closed the rest of the distance and kissed him, suddenly it was like everything was finally fitting in place.


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy the early update thanks to my boo boo with yesterdays update. It was supposed to be posted last week sometime but I somehow forgot to post it after I uploaded it last week. This chapter is my apology for forgetting to give you another chapter when I was supposed to. Enjoy!**

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As of Monday morning I was no longer hanging out with the jocks. I was still a cheerleader because Damon thought it was hilarious that I was. But I told them that I was hanging out with Damon.

"Is it because of the kiss at the Grill Saturday afternoon?" Stefan asked when I got to school Monday. Damon was waiting by his car for me. I wasn't sure where he hung out in the morning but I would go wherever that is.

"Maybe so. All I know is I would rather hang out with him than with all of them." I told Stefan.

"They're not so bad when you get used to them. You can even bring Damon." He said as Damon started walking over to us.

"No, I'm sorry Stefan. It has nothing to do with you, I just can't stand all of them. It's more yours and Caroline's gig than mine." I told him. Damon came to stand next to me and I smiled up at him. He grinned and kissed my lips softly. I kissed him back briefly and when we broke the kiss, Stefan was already walking towards his table.

"You should come over after school." Damon said and I smiled.

"Whatever will we do?" I asked coyly and he laughed. We were walking into the school, Damon didn't strike me as the type to hang out in the school.

"I can think of a few things." He said and I grinned. We were so totally on the same page it was funny. I had no qualms about rolling around in a bed with him either clothed or unclothed. It was probably smarter to keep it clothed for the time being. I refused to sleep with a guy until he knew about me and I wasn't ready to tell Damon about me yet. I did that once and it did not end well. If that meant I had to be celibate for a while then I would be. I worried about vamping out in the heat of the moment. I didn't want to scare him away and that would surely scare him away. He walked us into Mr. Saltzman's class and I was surprised a guy like him hung out with a teacher or in a teacher's classroom.

"Somehow this surprises me." I said when we sat down in the seats we occupied in his class.

"Where else is there to avoid the jocks. They're the types of people who make me want to fight." Damon said and I laughed.

"Well well look at what we have here." Mr. Saltzman said when he walked into the classroom with a cup of coffee to find us there.

"There's nothing to see here." Damon said and our teacher laughed.

"I think there is. Considering how much you disliked each other on Elena's first day. Now you're hanging out together." He said with a smirk.

"We discovered we liked kissing each other." I told him with a smirk and Damon laughed in response.

"That's just great, just make sure you don't do it in my class and we'll be good." He said and Damon saluted him. We laughed with Mr. Saltzman until the bell rang and people started coming into class. It was like the class filled by clique. The nerds filed in first, then everyone that didn't really belong to a group and then the jocks came in right before the warning bell. All the cliques were broken up, Mr. Saltzman really knew what he was doing.

"Is your dad going to be home?" I asked quietly while Mr. Saltzman was lecturing about the Civil War era.

"Unfortunately. He won't be happy that I'm bringing you home with me. But I really don't care what he thinks, I want to spend time with you but I also have to be at home with my mom." He whispered and I smiled. We managed to talk all through class without getting caught by Mr. Saltzman. We went our separate ways when the bell rang with a chaste kiss. One didn't make out with a guy who could possibly be their boyfriend in the middle of the hallway at school.

We met up again for lunch but we spent the entire hour making out in his car.

"Are you sure you don't need to eat?" He asked when we came up for air and I laughed.

"I'm totally not hungry right now." I promised him before kissing him again. We kissed through the bell and up to the warning bell before we both ran to our classes. The final bell rang a while later and I met Damon by his car. I had told Caroline to take the car home today since I was hanging out with Damon.

"How was your afternoon?" He asked when he unlocked the door to the baby blue Camaro.

"Uneventful. You?" I responded. He shrugged and got into the car. I loved the deep rumple of the engine with it started up. This could possibly be my dream car, that's how perfect it was. It definitely helped that the owner was currently my favourite guy on the planet.

"About the same. Shall we?" He asked as he peeled out of the parking space. The drive to his house wasn't long, so when we got there he took my hand and led me inside. He tensed when he heard the yelling.

"Lily no, it's me. Your husband." Giuseppe said firmly. Damon tugged me behind him as we went into the great room to find Lily Salvatore holding a gun on her husband.

"Shit, mom no." Damon said holding his hands up to while keeping me shielded from the gun. I should be the one shielding him but he didn't know that.

"Don't come any closer! I don't know you. Get out of my house." She screamed frantically.

"It's me. Your son." Damon said trying to calm her.

"Get away from me! I don't know you." She screamed. I grabbed Damon's arm to pull him back towards me. I hated that this woman was holding a gun on him. I was pretty sure I loved him and I wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing her if she hurt him.

"Come back here. Let me try. I at least am actually a stranger. I've dealt with this before, I know how to talk them down." I said to Damon.

"Stay away from my wife. We'll handle this the way we always do." Giuseppe ordered.

"And get shot in the process. I say we give Elena a shot." Damon said defensively.

"Don't worry about me, she won't hurt me." I said certain. Damon grabbed his dads arm and pulled him away from me. I knew he didn't like leaving me there but he didn't know that I would be just fine. A bullet wouldn't kill me. It would only momentarily daze me.

"Now Lily, that's your family out there. They love you and you love them. You're not scared of them and they're not strangers. Snap out of it." I compelled and when I broke the compulsion her gaze became focused again and she stared at me. I went to grab Damon and Giuseppe and they came in to find Lily back to her normal self.

"How did you do that?" Damon asked me and I shrugged.

"I'll tell you about it, but can we go upstairs?" I asked. I knew it was time to tell him the truth about me. I was falling in love with him and it was time to be honest with him. He nodded and led me upstairs to his room.

"That was close. It's never been that bad before. I was scared." He admitted sitting on his bed. I clasped my hands in front of me and took a deep breath. I had never been this scared before. I wasn't ready to lose him. I just got him.

"What would you say if I told you there was a way to make sure that never happened again?" I asked testing the waters.

"I would ask what you mean by that." He replied.

"I can make her forget that she was ever sick. It's a mental illness and I can take that away from her." I told him.

"How can you do that? The doctor said there is no way to control it but for the medication that she doesn't like to take." He said and I shook my head.

"That's not entirely true. I can convince her that she's not sick. I can force the delusions out of her head." I told him.

"It's impossible, I love you for trying but it's impossible." He insisted.

"Not if you're not human. Damon I'm a vampire." I told him.

"You're what? There's no way, you're perfectly human. You're beautiful." He told me.

"My vampire side only comes out when I'm in danger, when I want it to and when I'm hungry or angry." I told him.

"I don't believe you. Vampires don't exist, least of all in Mystic Falls." He said. I took a deep breath because I knew there was no other way to convince him. I felt my fangs drop and the veins envelope my eyes. His gasp said everything. I knew he now believed me.

"This doesn't change anything. It's not going to change anything, right?" I asked. I didn't want him to leave me, and I didn't want him to be afraid of me.

"You lied to me. You're a monster." He told me and I felt my heart break.

"I'm not a monster. I would never hurt you or anyone." I told him.

"You were just lying in wait for my blood. Maybe eventually I would trust you enough that I would open a vein for you? Did you think that?" He demanded.

"I don't drink blood from the vein. Blood bags. Damon please. I'll explain everything to you. I will." I promised.

"It sure as shit doesn't matter anymore. I don't want anything to do with you. You can leave the way you entered." He said and my eyes welled up. I thought he was different than Liam. I thought he would be able to deal with my secret. That was the final sign that I was meant to be alone for eternity.

"I'm sorry Damon." I said before grabbing my bag and leaving his bedroom. I didn't turn back when I walked out of his house. I didn't really blame him, not really. Rationally I knew it was true, I was a monster.


	6. Chapter 6

I cried all the way home. This is why it's dangerous for vampires to fall in love like this. Everything is so much more intense, when we fall- we fall hard. I walked into the house after vamp speeding home only to find Caroline and Tyler fooling around on the couch. It wasn't what I needed to see.

"Elena, I thought you were spending the afternoon with Damon." She said until she saw the tears in my eyes.

"Uh oh, what happened? I haven't seen you cry since we met." She said frowning. She apologized to Tyler and led me up to my room. I sat down on the bed and she sat beside me, holding my hand.

"I told him about me despite me promising myself I wouldn't do that again. But this time I actually fell for him. I fell in love with him, maybe the first time I spent any actual time with him." I told her.

"That's a good thing isn't it? You fell in love." She said.

"Until he ripped my heart out and stomped on it. He completely freaked out when I brought up the V word." I sobbed.

"It's okay Elena. Go to school on Monday, do a little flirting to make him see what he's missing. He'll come running back, and if he doesn't it doesn't matter. He's just a guy." She told me trying to make me feel better.

"He's not just a guy Caroline. I think he might he the guy." I said completely heartbroken.

"If he is, then things will work out. If he is your soul mate, then the V word won't be able to keep you guys apart." She told me and I hugged her.

"I think I need to get out of town for a couple days. I need to regroup." I told her and she didn't respond.

"Are you sure about that? What about us blending in and not getting noticed?" She asked and I sighed.

"There is no one after us Care. I just let you believe there was. I have no idea where my father is, but I know he wasn't kidnapped." I told her finally.

"Why would you do that? I've been living frightened someone was after us." She said disappointed.

"I needed the toned down Caroline. I was trying to protect you from my mistakes." I confessed.

"If you weren't already so upset I would be really upset with you right now Elena. But I guess I understand why you did it and at least now I know I can be Caroline Forbes." She told me happily.

"I don't want to change you Care. You're all I have in this world and I can't lose you too. So be whoever you want, do whatever you want. Just please don't get us killed." I said to her and she smiled.

"Yay, but now about that whole you leaving town thing." She said and I sighed.

"Not forever, just for a couple days. I need to regroup." I told her and she nodded slowly.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked and I shook my head.

"There is a game this weekend and you can't miss it. Just tell the rest of the squad that I had a family emergency or something." I told her and she nodded. I could tell she was happy that I didn't want her to come. She had a life here and I didn't want to disrupt it until there came a time we had to leave. But I wanted to make this one work.

"I'll let you pack an overnight bag or whatever. I need to go tell Tyler that we have to reschedule. You need me more right now." She told me and I hugged her.

"I'm fine, hang out with Tyler. I'm just going to sit up here and wallow." I told her and she laughed.

"Don't you remember, we wallow together? Never alone." She reminded me as she walked out of my room.

True to her word, she sent Tyler away and spent the rest of the day upstairs with me. She held me while I cried out all of my tears. I had to teach myself to be strong when I was finally faced with him again. I know it was ridiculous to be so sad right now. We hadn't been together very long, I didn't even know if we were official or not. Normally, one didn't feel like this over a relationship so short. But vampirism caused everything to be heightened, even feelings of love. It was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice to feel so intensely for someone, but when it ended I was left devastated.

"When are you leaving?" She asked.

"In a little while. I have to stop at Damon's house to do something for him. He'll never know I was there." I told her.

"Why are you going there?" She asked suspiciously.

"I want to do something for him. I'm going to cure his mom. She suffers from pretty intense delusions, some harmless, some not. It's mental so I can make her not have them anymore by making her believe that she's healthy." I told her and she nodded.

"What if you get caught?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I won't. She has her own bedroom in case she goes into a delusion and doesn't know who Giuseppe is. I'll go in, compel her and leave." I explained. Caroline didn't look completely convinced but I knew she would let me go just the same. She trusted me and I trusted her. It was the way we were.

I went over to Damon's house in the very late hours of the night. I couldn't hear anything in the house so I knew everyone was asleep. I snuck in through the door as quiet as a mouse and immediately went to track down Lily's room. Once I found it I walked in to find her sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair. She was silent as she stared at her reflection.

"Are you my maid?" She asked in a lilted accent and I knew she was in one of her delusions.

"Yes ma'am." I said curtsying and walking over to her. I kneeled before her and took her face in my hand. She was completely still and I made her focus.

"You are never going to have another delusion again. You are going to love your husband and your boys. You're going to be healthy for them. You don't want them to worry anymore." I told her. She repeated my words back to me groggily and I helped her to her bed. The compulsion took a lot from her. It was the biggest act of compulsion I have ever done. It would take lots out of Lily to fight off the delusions. She would be tired but it would be worth it for her family. When she was safely in bed I walked out of the room and down the hall to Damon's room. I listened at his door and heard shallow breathing so I opened it slightly to peek in. I saw that he was sleeping so I walked in and shut the door. I needed to see him before I left. It was only for a couple days but I needed to forget my feelings for him. At least bury them enough to ignore them. He was asleep on his back and he was shirtless. I sniffled slightly and left the room as quick as I could.

Once I was back at my car, I got in and turned it on before driving to the town line. I paused for a second before finally leaving Mystic Falls. I would be back, but for right now I just needed a place to let my wounded soul heal.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. Lots of work and a sick little girl are the only excuses I have. I hope you enjoy it and as always let me know what you think.**

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 **Damon**

I woke up the morning after I broke up with Elena – broke up with was maybe the wrong choice of word because we were never officially a couple. I told her I never wanted to see her again and I told her to get out of my house because she confessed she's a vampire. She's a monster and I don't know how I ever fell for her. She confessed after she offered to cure my mother. It's a nice thought but it's impossible. Despite what Elena says, it's still impossible. But now I had nothing to distract me from my mom's deteriorating health. Even a month ago she was only having one hallucination a week, now she was up to pretty much every single day was a series of hallucinations. I was able to forget about it for a little while with Elena but now she was gone too.

"Breakfast. Come boys, it's time to eat." My mother's voice rang out and I was confused. She had never cooked breakfast, at least not since she'd fallen mentally ill. If this was another one of her delusions, I didn't know how to take it. Her delusions either involved danger or taking her to another world. I guess I would have to see when I got down there. There was the distinct possibility the breakfast she cooked was something disgusting. I got out of bed and threw a shirt on before leaving my room. Stefan and my father were already down there looking wildly confused when I walked into the dining room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"She says she's cured. I'm taking her to the doctor today. She told us that an angel came to her in her dreams and told her to forget she was sick. If she forgot about it then she wouldn't be ill anymore." My dad told me shaking his head.

"She's definitely in another delusion but this one is strange Damon. We're getting her checked out to see if there is any other medication she can be put on." Stefan interjected and I nodded even though I knew exactly what happened. Elena disrespected my wishes and came into the house late last night. She cured my mother and left without anyone ever knowing she was here. I didn't know how I felt about that. I would probably need to thank her if I ever saw her again. There was a chance that she managed to repair my family.

"I'm cured, can you believe it? That angel is perfect in my eyes." She said happily.

"What did the angel look like, mom?" I asked her needing to make sure.

"Long dark hair, brown eyes. Kind. She wore jeans and a henley." She told me and that was the exact outfit Elena had been wearing earlier before I kicked her out and said I never wanted to see her again. Maybe calling her a monster had been a little harsh. We all sat down to eat the breakfast my mom had made. Stefan and dad watched her wearily not sure when she was going to snap. I trusted Elena's methods and was sure that what Elena said was true. My mother was finally cured of her delusions. Elena did what dozens of doctors hadn't been able to do. She brought my mother back to us.

"You should invite Elena over now, son. We would like to meet your girlfriend." My dad shot in and I shook my head.

"We aren't spending time together anymore." I told him looking at my plate and moving hash browns around.

"The two of you were very close yesterday, and she was a big help in stopping the delusion. What happened?" He asked.

"We just weren't working out, despite how much I wanted us to." I told him with a shrug.

"There is still time. Maybe she'll come back. But sometimes you have to make an effort. Especially if you were the one who ended things. If you don't want them ended maybe you should tell her that." My dad said and I shrugged. I needed answers before anything else happened between us. I loved her for fixing my family but there was still too much unknown. I knew nothing about vampires aside from how they didn't like garlic, silver was deadly, no reflections in mirrors, and that they drank blood. Everything else about her was a mystery.

"Maybe." I agreed.

"Just talk to her, you will never know if you have a future until then. If your mother really is cured, then we want you and Stefan to start living for yourselves." My dad said and my mom smiled at me.

"I want to meet this girl of yours with a clear mind." My mom said and I smiled at her. I was almost certain that when my mom saw her she would have a face for her angel.

"We'll see. I have to talk to her first." I decided. I had to talk to her, she deserved it after coming in despite everything I said and doing this for me.

After breakfast everyone went to get ready for the day. Stefan had football practice so he was gone before I was ready. My mom and dad waited for me downstairs.

"We're going to the doctor, do you want to come to see for yourself if your mom is cured?" My dad asked.

"No that's okay. I believe she's cured, I need to go talk to Elena." I told him and he patted me on the back and smiled.

"Bring her home with you if you work things out. I'd like to meet this girl without hating her on sight because of our home life." He said and I smiled.

"I'll try. I have to see if we can work it out first. I said some things I'm not proud of." I told him and he patted my back again.

""I'm sorry" Are very powerful words Damon." My mom said and I offered her a smile.

"I know, thanks though." I said before slipping past them and getting in my car.

I drove to Elena's house but her car wasn't outside. That didn't mean anything though because she and Caroline shared a car. Caroline was probably out with Tyler or hanging out with the jocks and cheerleaders. She probably went to football practice just to watch Tyler. I walked up the front walk and knocked on the door. I stepped back in case either of them answered. A couple seconds later Caroline opened the door with her arms crossed, it was like she knew it was me.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded coolly.

"I need to talk to Elena." I told her.

"A little late for that. She left so she could regroup. You hurt her real bad." She told me and I took a deep breath. It wasn't fair that Caroline was putting all the blame on me, Elena was the one who lied.

"How did you react when she told you her secret?" I demanded and she laughed humorlessly.

"She didn't have to. I'm the same." She answered, her arms crossed.

"So you're a vampire too?" I asked and she nodded her head.

"I wanted to talk to her about what it meant to be a vampire. I know all the myths and the stories but I never knew that you guys actually existed. But she's not here so can I ask you?" I asked her. Caroline might be the only chance I had of finding Elena. If she left town then she was more hurt than I ever imagined.

"Elena is coming back, you know. She just needed a couple days alone. She and I are a package deal, if she leaves so do I and she wouldn't do that to me. I'm happy here." She told me and I nodded.

"So will you answer my questions? I need to know if being with Elena despite all of that is something I can do. I want to know before I see her again. I don't want to torture her or me for that matter." I asked and she sighed and stepped aside so I could come in.

"What made you decide to hear her out?" Caroline asked as she sat down in a big chair. I took the couch and put my elbows on my knees.

"She cured my mom." I told her simply.

"So since she cured your mom of her delusions you think she's now worthy of your time? News flash Salvatore Elena has always been worth your time, it's just you I don't think is worthy of her time. She's amazing, perfect, the strongest person I know. I don't know about you, especially if you bolted at the first taste of trouble." She told me. Caroline was straight to the point and it was clear how much she loved Elena. She would be a formidable opponent if she decided I wasn't good enough for her best friend.

"I understand that." I told her.

"I don't know if you do. You haven't gone through the things Elena has. She's practically my sister and I want to protect her the same way she wants to protect me." She told me.

"I understand. Can I ask you questions now?" I asked and she shrugged.

"Do what you want. I'll tell you the truth about everything." She told me sitting back. She was far more relaxed than I was, but I never thought for an instant that she would hurt me. She was totally in control.

"How did Elena turn?" I asked and she sighed.

"Don't tell her I told you anything about her. But you need to know who she is. She was attacked by a vampire, walking home from work one night. When her dad found her the vampire was feeling remorse so he fed her some of his blood but Grayson staked him. On their way home Elena and Grayson were in a car accident. Grayson was mostly unharmed, just a few bumps and bruises, but Elena died. Grayson couldn't stand the idea of his only daughter dying so cut himself so Elena could feed." She told me and I nodded.

"So in order for a person to become a vampire they have to be killed by a vampire and drink human blood?" I asked and Caroline shook her head.

"Not quite. A person has to die with vampire blood in their system and then feed on human blood to complete the transition. A person can opt out of feeding and then they'll just die. Grayson couldn't stand the idea of that happening to Elena." Caroline explained and I nodded.

"What happened after that? Did she go blood-crazy?" I asked and she shook her head.

"She was very grounded after that. But when her mom and brother ran away because they couldn't stand living with her they started getting very nomadic. They moved around a lot. Three years ago she took a bite out of a student so they had to leave. That was in New York. Then came San Francisco and Liam. She fell for him and showed him who she was and he freaked out. Sound familiar? And then she moved to Atlanta and met me. Then her dad disappeared and she and I moved here." She told me and I felt horrible that I wasn't the first one to break her heart like that. But it looked like she got over it.

"I need to know what's true about vampire myths." I told her and she nodded.

"Wooden stakes are deadly as long as they go in the heart. Garlic is delicious, Elena and I eat it all the time. It adds a certain something something to meals. Vervain is a pain in the ass as it makes it impossible to compel someone. A lot of people in this town are on it and I'm surprised your family seems to not be. I happen to love seeing my reflection in the mirror. It makes me feel even prettier. We excel at mind control – compulsion. You've seen Elena use that. We can't turn into bats, though that would be awesome. We are also incredibly fast. Vampire speed kicks ass." She told me.

"What about blood? Elena mentioned something about blood bags." I told her and she stood up.

"Come with me." She said leading me to a door. The door led to the basement and she opened a deep freeze. She opened it up and it was filled with blood bags.

"Holy shit. Where do you get it all?" I asked and she shrugged.

"Blood banks mostly. Elena's dad has a friend who works in one and he sends us a month supply of blood every month." She told me.

"So you never bite a human? You or Elena?" I asked. This was the important part.

"Only if they ask really nicely." She smirked.

"Some people ask for it? How the fuck can people want that?" I demanded. The idea was completely ridiculous.

"The usual situations are sexual. A vampire bite can be very pleasurable. Very intimate." She told me.

"What about the mark? The bite could be seen and there is no way that could be disguised as a hickey." I demanded.

"Vampire blood heals all. I bite Tyler from time to time and it makes the sex even better. I always give him some of my blood after we're done so the mark disappears and he's back to his perfectly sexy self. We don't take much blood at all, just a couple sips more or less. But it's incredibly enjoyable for both parties." She told me and I shook my head. There was no way I was ever being bitten.

"Thanks Caroline. Any idea of when Elena will be home?" I asked.

"I don't know. When she feels better I guess. Her phone is off so don't even try calling her." She told me and I nodded.

"What if something happens to her? Do you even know where she is?" I demanded. The idea of her being all alone somewhere with no way to get a hold of her was scary as hell.

"I know exactly where she is. But I'm not telling you that. She needed to get away. You can do your part when she gets home. You may have to fight for her because she won't be hurting anymore when she comes home." She warned me.

"I'll fight." I promised.

"Do you love her, or could you love her?" She asked me seriously. Those massive blue eyes of hers were staring into my soul it felt like.

"Yes, I love her. Or at least I'm falling in love with her. I don't know which right now." I answered and she smiled for the first time.

"Good. Don't hurt her. I'm giving you my blessing so you better not be the next person to hurt her. This is your last chance." She warned me. I nodded and left the house. Now I just had to wait. I could wait forever if I had to.


	8. Chapter 8

I am so sorry about the wait on this. I had a few big changes happen in the past few weeks and haven't had even a couple minutes to myself to edit the next chapter. Hope this chapter makes up for it.

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A few days later I came home, it was just time. Being at the lake house didn't help any feelings I had. I still felt broken hearted and I had a feeling that this time that wouldn't change. When Liam ended things I was back to normal after only a couple days. It was like my heart recognized that he wasn't my soul mate. I was beginning to think that soul mates didn't exist. I parked my car outside the house and waited for a few seconds. I wasn't ready for Caroline to start questioning me about my time away, mostly because nothing really happened. I never had any sort of epiphany that I was better off alone. I never got any ideas on how to make Damon forgive me and give me another chance despite the vampire issue. Nothing happened no matter how much I wished it had. When I was finally ready, I got out of the car and walked up the front walk. Tyler's car was outside so maybe I could sneak away without having to talk to her.

"Elena, is that you?" Caroline called when I opened the door. Clearly she wasn't too occupied with Tyler to miss me coming in.

"Yeah it's me." I said.

"How do you feel?" She asked rushing out of the living room to greet me.

"The same as before, just less painful. I can breathe now." I told her and she nodded sympathetically.

"Well you've got to get back into it. We're going out for dinner tonight, just you and me. A girl's night out." She told me and that made me smile. Dinner with Caroline sounded amazing.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The Grill. Choices here are very limited." She told me with a shrug but I didn't care.

"So I have to ask, has anyone heard anything about Damon's mom?" I asked hopefully. I hoped that my compulsion was effective and she was now as healthy as she was before the first hallucination.

"She's been out and about with her family pretty much every day this week. She seems perfectly normal. She's telling everyone that an angel came to her in a dream and told her to forget about being sick." Caroline said with a smile.

"I'm happy that worked out. Damon deserves it." I said.

"Damon came by too, looking for you." She told me and I stopped. That I hadn't expected. So many questions were running through my mind. Why was he here? Did he still have feelings for me? Was there still a chance for us to work things out? I didn't ask them all out loud but I knew Caroline saw them in my eyes.

"There is definitely still a chance for the two of you. He came by to get answers and I gave them to him. I told him about you too, if that's okay." She told me and I didn't care. It didn't bother me that Damon knew my entire past. At least all of it that Caroline knew. She knew the important bits.

"I don't know what to do though. I've never been the one who has to chase the guy and I know I'm not entirely in the wrong here. He isn't either. He had every right to freak out about the vampire thing. But I can't help what I am. I don't want to apologize because it sets a bad precedent for our entire relationship." I worried.

"Maybe just try talking to him. It's Friday, it's a good day to make things work. You have the entire weekend to smooth things over." She said and I knew she was right. Caroline was always right about these things.

"Okay. I'll try to talk to him tonight after dinner." I told her.

"And try your hardest not to come home, please. I kind of have a big romantic night planned for me and Tyler and it's happening here." She told me and I laughed.

"Why can't it happen at his place?" I asked. It impressed me that Tyler was staying in the living room, not paying attention to us. He was letting his girlfriend and her best friend talk privately. I gave him a lot of credit for not butting in when his name was mentioned.

"His mom hates me, apparently I'm not refined enough for the future mayor of Mystic Falls. So we spend our relationship either out in public where she can't say anything or else she'll be judged. Or here where we can be alone without being judged by her." Caroline explained and I nodded in understanding.

"I'll give you your night with him. One way or another I'll find another place to stay for the night. Or come back really late when I know for sure you'll be asleep." I told her and she hugged me.

"Thank God, the past few days we've had nothing but distractions. His mom has kept him under lock and key since Wednesday, and then there was football practice, cheer practice and homework. We need a Tyler and Caroline night." She told me and I laughed.

"You do that, I won't stop you." I promised.

"Good now get upstairs and get ready for dinner. You look like shit and I mean that in the nicest possible way." She told me and I laughed again. I knew she was right, a depressed vampire didn't worry about things like body odour or hair and makeup.

While I was upstairs I jumped into the shower and enjoyed the hot water running over me. I spent far longer in there than I usually did. I washed my hair and body before just enjoying the water for the rest of the time. I knew I had time to pamper myself. I wanted to do things I hadn't done in a while. I wanted to paint my nails and toenails and I wanted to take my time applying my makeup and doing my hair. I heard the door shut downstairs and I knew Tyler just left so we could have our girl's dinner.

"I'm going to get ready Lena, then we can leave." She called. I knew I still had lots of time, it took forever for Caroline to pick clothes. She took a reasonable amount of time to do her hair and makeup, getting dressed was the issue.

"Okay." I called back. I chose red nail polish and started painting my toe nails. I chose the same red for my fingernails and it didn't take me long to paint them. My fast drying nail polish didn't take long to dry so when it was done I quickly brushed my hair and straightened it. It took quite a while to straighten my hair perfectly since I had so much of it. When that was done I applied my makeup in my usual way. I decided I didn't have the patience to go all out and I also knew I didn't need foundation and concealer. My skin was perfect as it was. Just a swipe of lip-gloss, and some mascara and I was ready to do. I chose a pair of skin tight skinny jeans that I would pair with my equestrian boots and an eyelet lace top with flutter sleeves. I loved the shirt, I just didn't wear it often. I wasn't good with white clothes so I wasn't even sure if it was a good idea tonight.

"Are you ready?" Caroline asked from my door and I opened it out coming out.

"How the hell do you always look better than me with little to no effort?" She demanded.

"I put effort in my appearance." I said looking at her.

"You did your nails which means you had plenty of time. I know how long it takes you to put on your makeup. You always look perfect. You should have paired the outfit with your stripper boots though." She suggested. They were not stripper boots despite what she said, they were just boots with a platform and a high heel. Stripper boots were thigh high.

"I think I have an idea where I'll find Damon tonight, so high heels is not the best idea." I told her and she nodded.

"Ah, I see." She said as she slipped on her sling backs.

When we got to the Grill she found us a booth against the wall. We slid in and Matt came over to take our order.

"You work here?" I asked when he stopped by and he laughed.

"Yeah, even this jock needs to work to pay the bills. Absentee mother and all that." He said.

"I didn't know that." I said and he took our order. I could hear Damon across the Grill and I turned my head, my gaze locked on his.

"Go talk to him." Caroline urged but I shook my head.

"He's with his family." I told her turning my head again. He never came over here either so I knew he didn't want to talk to me either right now. I would wait until I went and found him later.

Dinner was delicious and Caroline practically pushed me out of the booth when Tyler showed up to pick Caroline up.

"Elena, if you can't find Damon, don't bother sitting out all night. You can come home, Tyler and I can reschedule." She told me. I shook my head and stood up.

"I'll be fine, you have your night." I told her and she smiled. I went out to my car and first made the drive to Damon's house. I thought maybe he didn't feel up for partying tonight. I hoped that was true but I didn't really expect it to be. When I knocked on the door, Damon's dad answered with a smile on his face. He was much happier than he had been last time I saw him.

"Hi, is Damon home?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry he's not. But he also said that if you show up to tell you that you should know where he is. It's Friday night." He told me. He looked confused and I knew he had no idea what Damon got up to on Friday nights.

"Okay, thanks." I said turning and walking away.

"Elena, I'm sorry for the way I treated you the two times you were at my house. It'll all be different, my wife was miraculously cured." He said and I smiled.

"Its water under the bridge, I wouldn't have wanted anyone to know either." I said brushing it off. He walked back into the house and I got back in my car. I remembered the way to the Falls and when I got there I had to park really far out. I was happy that I wore my flat boots. The heels would have been treacherous. I could hear the party raging and I followed the sound of fun. When I got there I started weaving through the crowd looking for Damon.

"You're here! I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to see you again." Katie said when I walked in.

"Have you seen Damon?" I asked her.

"Last time I saw him he was by the keg. He turned me down for sex, at least now I know why. You were coming." She laughed before scampering off in three inch heels.

"Elena, you're here." Damon said from behind me when I got to the keg. I hadn't seen him so I turned around and smiled.

"Your dad said you would be and I wanted to be where you were." I told him. He sighed and stepped towards me.

"I really didn't want to talk about this here." He said with his hands in his pockets.

"We can talk about it now, I don't mind." I told him.

"Alright, let's go find somewhere to sit." He suggested.

"I have all night. Caroline has Tyler over tonight so I can't go home until really late. I promised her." I told him. We sat down on the ground against a couple trees that were close together.

"Look, I'm sorry. I never should have called you a monster. For me there's not much to talk about. I want to be with you but I completely understand if you don't want to be with me. I hurt you when I should have asked you about it." He told me and I smiled at him.

"It's okay, anyone would have responded the same way and they have." I told him.

"I don't want to be compared to your ex-boyfriend. He was an idiot if he couldn't see how special you are. Even after I hurt you, you still came back and helped my mother. A monster wouldn't do that." He said and I sniffled slightly. He was going to make me cry again, but this time they were happy tears.

"Damon, you don't know what it means to be with me. I'm not human. Things aren't going to be the same with me as they would with someone normal." I told him.

"Normal is so overrated Elena. I'm falling in love with you and that's never happened before. I've always been able to keep people at arm's length but not you. Never you." He told me but my brain was still focused on the "I love you."

"You're falling in love with me? How?" I asked him.

"You're you. You're absolutely perfect and in that moment I thought you weren't perfect anymore, Caroline convinced me you were. I'd be an idiot to let you go and like I said I refused to be compared to Liam." He told me and I cried again.

"I love you." I said in response. It was the only thing coming to my mind, I couldn't respond to anything he said. All I could say was that I loved him because it was true. It was the most encompassing feeling I'd ever had. He smiled and cupped my face in his hand, kissing me. I climbed over so I was straddling his lap, his hands were on my hips as we kissed. We couldn't let it go too far here, I wasn't about to have sex with him for the first time in public. There were far too many people who could see. When we had gotten too far I rose off of him and stood up, offering him my hand.

"We need to take a breath." I told him and he stood up.

"My parents will be in bed soon. We can go to my place and continue, even if we don't have sex tonight. I could just hold you." He suggested. What he suggested sounded wonderful. The sex part didn't even bother me.

We hung out for a while longer until he decided it was safe to leave. We drove over to his house in his car, having decided to come get mine tomorrow morning.

"Okay, so I've been thinking, I don't really want to have sex with my parents in the house, if that's okay." He said as we slowly made our way up to his room.

"That's totally fine with me. I'll kick Caroline out next time we're together." I said and he laughed in response. In his room he shut the door and went into his closet and found a t-shirt.

"I didn't think you'd want to sleep in those." He said and I shook my head. I changed right in front of him, it didn't bother me. I loved him and he'd be seeing me without clothes soon enough. When we were both dressed down, we climbed into bed and he wrapped his arms around me. We lay in silence for a few minutes before he slowly pulled back.

"Can I see it again?" He asked and I knew what he was talking about. I nodded, nervous that it was going to send him away again. I felt my fangs drop and the veins come around my eyes again. I didn't speak, I couldn't as he lay me back and started caressing each of the veins around my eyes. His touch was tender, the nicest thing I've ever felt. When he was done touching them he kissed my veins. I was okay with him exploring, it felt nice. When he kissed my lips I was startled, I wanted to retract my fangs but I didn't have a chance.

"Be careful." I panted when he panted. "I don't want to bite you."

"I'm not scared." He said trailing his finger around my mouth. He dipped his finger in my mouth so he could touch the sharp point of my fang. He pushed a little too hard and a small drop of blood appeared on his finger.

"Oh." He said and I watched him warily. Neither of us moved until he took a deep breath.

"You can have it." He decided. He was intrigued at the vampire side of me. I closed my mouth about his finger, savouring the couple drops of blood I could get out of the wound. I let his finger go with a pop and he looked at me.

"Caroline was telling me that a vampire bite was very sexual. Are you going to want to try that someday?" He asked and he wasn't nervous. It was like he was open to it.

"We can try whatever you want. The vampire side of me will never say no when blood is offered." I told him snuggling back into his arms.

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"Not during sex. I'd bite at the height of pleasure and it would just make it more euphoric." I told him.

"I think I'd like that." He decided and I laughed.

"I haven't heard of too many people who don't." I told him. We lapsed back into a comfortable silence again and eventually just fell asleep. I couldn't remember a day that had turned out so perfectly. I just hoped I wouldn't wake up to it all being a dream.


	9. Chapter 9

"So how are we going to do this? Am I going to sneak out without them knowing I was here, or are we going to come clean?" I asked when he finally opened his eyes the next morning. I had spent the past half hour just lying here watching him sleep. I'd never had that urge to watch someone sleep before. But now here I was, completely in love with a person.

"Do you want to just sneak out?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I can do it if you want me to. If you don't want your mom and dad to know I slept here last night, it might be the best idea." I offered snuggling closer to him. I wanted to be as close to him as I could get before we would be inevitably separated. We couldn't constantly be together, even though right now that's exactly what I want.

"Knock knock, I'm coming in." A voice outside said that I immediately recognized as his mother.

"I don't think sneaking out is going to be possible." He murmured just before his mom came barrelling into the room wearing an apron.

"Mom." Damon greeted her.

"I was just coming in to tell you that breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Good morning, Elena. It's nice to meet you with a clear head. She's more than welcome to join us for breakfast." Mrs. Salvatore said before breezing out of the room. Damon's eyes were wide and I couldn't help but laugh. She totally just took it all in stride, seeing her son with a girl in his bed. She was officially a cool mom. My mom would have flipped out if she ever saw a girl in Jeremy's bed. I knew that from experience. I'd seen it happen on more than one occasion.

"I guess we should head down to breakfast." Damon said with a shake of his head.

"I guess we should. I've been invited." I teased and he shook his head again with a chuckle. I quickly changed back into my clothes and handed him his t-shirt back.

"You can keep it." He said handing it back but I placed it in his hands again.

"You keep it for the next time I spend the night." I told him. He grinned and made a show of folding it up and putting it in the drawer.

"Shall we?" He asked offering me his arm when I finished buttoning my jeans and straightening my clothes.

"We shall." I answered. I took his arm and we walked down the stairs to where we heard laughter in the dining room.

"Well Elena, I was wondering when we'd get to see you again. I'd like to formally apologize for my behaviour when my wife was ill. It was unforgiveable but I'd like it if you'd give my family a chance to make a good impression on you." Giuseppe Salvatore apologized.

"It's water under the bridge. I would have probably reacted the same way." I assured him. He smiled and nodded before sitting down beside Lily once again. They held hands on the table and I smiled at Damon who was smiling softly at them. It's like he didn't want them to know how much it affected him, though it did. Even Damon loved seeing his parents happy together.

"You're such a lovely young lady. It's an absolute pleasure to meet a girl who makes my son smile so wide. I can see the joy you bring to other people." His mom said and I smiled at her too. All this praise was making me feel awkward. They wouldn't feel the same way about me, if they knew what I could do. They wouldn't approve if they found out that I'm a vampire, especially one who indulged on a bit of their son's blood last night. The little bit of blood Damon gave me last night, was easily the most erotic experience of my life. We all dished up our breakfast and I ate heartily. Just because I didn't require food, didn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I loved human food and while it wasn't as satisfying as it once had been, didn't mean that I didn't continue to enjoy it. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket but I chose to ignore it. Whatever Caroline wanted could wait until after this breakfast. I wanted to make a good impression on Damon's family.

"So are you still leading cheer for us Elena?" Stefan asked curiously. It was clear that he thought when I started dating his brother, I would stop everything I was doing before. Would I quit cheerleading, I would in a heartbeat, but Damon likes the idea of me being a cheerleader.

"I'm planning on it." I told him and he grinned.

"Excellent, you're practically my good luck charm. I just didn't think Damon would ever be willing to be with someone from my group." He said, I knew he didn't mean any harm by it. Stefan was a good guy, it was just the way it came out of his mouth.

"I happen to like dating a cheerleader. The outfit is sexy as hell." Damon rebutted and Stefan blushed.

"Well now back to more suitable breakfast conversations. Where did you grow up Elena?" Lily asked and I smiled and appreciated the change in subject.

"All over the place. After my mom and brother left my dad and I, we travelled all over the US. We just never found a place that felt right." I told her.

"Mystic Falls feels right for you?" She asked and I nodded.

"It does. It works because my father teaches at Whitmore, so it's not that long of a commute. My best friend Caroline and I live here more or less alone but my father is just a phone call away." I told and her and she nodded.

"Isn't it a bit scary living away from your parents? You're still so young. You shouldn't be alone already." She worried and I smiled to hopefully take away her worries.

"It's not so bad. I have Caroline and my dad is close enough to come home if we need him." I promised. My phone vibrated again and I pressed the silence button once again. Whatever she needed could wait.

"Is everything okay?" Damon asked and I nodded.

"It's just Caroline, being Caroline." I assured him even though I wasn't so sure. She never called like this, but I had to keep up appearances. I couldn't ask Damon to drive me back to my car right now in the middle of breakfast, and his parents would be upset if I left to walk home alone. It was just easier to wait until we were done eating. My phone went off again and I was officially worried.

"Maybe you should answer it? It sounds important." Damon suggested and I nodded and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"I'll be right back." I told everyone. I went into the other room and called Caroline back who answered on the first ring. Damon stepped out of the dining room to stand with me.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I didn't want anyone else overhearing this conversation.

"You need to come home right now Elena." She said, her voice not the same happy chortle it usually was.

"Why? What's going on Care?" I demanded. It wasn't like her to get antsy like this. Something must really be wrong if she sounded like this.

"Just come home Elena. Let's just say we have company." She told me and I cursed under my breath.

"Alright, just give me a few minutes. I need to keep up appearances." I told her and she replied with one more "hurry" before hanging up.

"Is everything okay?" Damon asked with his hand on my lower back.

"Caroline sounds almost desperate. I have to go see what's going on, but I need you to drive me to my car to keep up appearances." I told him.

"I'm coming with you. I'll drive you straight to your house. I'm not letting you go in there alone if something dangerous is going on." He told me.

"Damon, I love you but this could be dangerous. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happens to you. I need to go alone." I told him shaking my head. I'd never seen Caroline this panicked before so it had to be important. It was one of two things, either it was so bad that our lives were over, or Caroline was being a drama queen making it worse than it really was.

"I'm going with you, or else you're not leaving this house. You're a vampire and so is Caroline, nothing is going to happen. It's probably nothing, I just won't feel better until I know for sure." He said and I sighed knowing I wouldn't get away until I let him come.

"Alright." I sighed and let him lead me back into the dining room.

"Elena's roommate is really sick. Like food poisoning sick, so I've got to get her home to take care of her." Damon came up with the lie on the spot. I was impressed, I had no idea what to say to them. The lie came to him like he lied to them all the time. Which, I guess he did considering his Friday night activities.

"Oh, I hope she's alright. Come back any time Elena. You're always welcome here." Lily said and Giuseppe echoed the sentiment.

"Thank you, but we really have to get going. I'll see you guys soon." I said letting Damon lead me out of the house.

I wrung my hands the entire drive to my house. Damon ended up reaching over to take my hand in his, lacing our fingers together as he drove.

"You have to promise me that if there are no heartbeats in that house you'll leave. If there are other vampires in there I can't be worrying about you. I need you to go home and let me deal with it. I'm not old enough of a vampire to take care of you and keep myself alive." I made him promise.

"I'm not leaving you." He said solemnly.

"You have no choice Damon. If you stay and there are vampires in there then we're both dead." I told him.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave but you have to call me the second it's over to let me know you're fine. I won't come in there with you but you have to call or come by." He bargained and I smiled at him.

"I will. I promise." I said as he pulled up to the curb. I took a deep breath and focused my hearing on the inside of the house. From where I was sitting I could hear one distinct heartbeat but that didn't mean that there weren't more.

"Are they human?" He asked and I nodded. "Do you still want me to leave?"

"Please. I don't know who is in there. Whether it's someone I need to compel or something else entirely. I don't want you to know the vampire inside me so much, I want you to know the woman who loves you." I told him.

"You can't keep both lives separate forever, you know." He reminded me and I nodded.

"I know, but I can keep you from the parts that I'm not proud of. Please, just let me come find you when I'm done." I pleaded.

"Okay. Call me when you're done and I'll come get you. We still need to go get your car." He reminded me and I gave in.

"Okay, I'll call you in a little while." I promised leaning over to accept a kiss from him. We kissed briefly before I got out of the car and walked up the front walk. Damon stayed put until I got to the door. He drove away when I opened it and I stepped inside.

"Elena, is that you?" Caroline called and I stopped in my tracks when I went into the family room.

"What the fuck is this?" I demanded looking at the person sitting on the couch.

"Hello, Elena. It seems we really need to talk." She said.

"I have nothing to say to you. You ran and left me with just my father. I have nothing to say to you, so I'm leaving." I hissed. I had absolutely nothing to say to the woman who calls herself my mother.

"She came to warn us, Elena. Sit down and listen to what she has to say, please." Caroline insisted.

"Fine speak," I acquiesced, sitting down on the couch across from my mother.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we go, we're getting into the home stretch now. Only five chapters left. As always let me know what you think.**

* * *

I stared my mother down, wanting her to feel uneasy sitting across from me. I didn't want her looking comfortable or at ease. I didn't blame any of this on Jeremy, he was forced to leave me behind.

"I need to speak to you, Elena. It's important. Can you please tone down the hostility?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I think I've earned the right to be hostile. At least a little bit. You abandoned me." I reminded her harshly.

"I had to do what I did. I was scared for my life and my son's life. You could have hurt us at any point. Your father told us to leave. If he hadn't I would have stayed, I promise you I would have." She said and what she said stopped me for a moment.

"Dad made you and Jeremy leave?" I asked quirking my eyebrows. That wasn't the story I heard. He told me that they had left him just as they left me. He had no idea it was going to happen and I believed him.

"Yes. He's been in contact with me this whole time. We're still married despite what I'm sure he told you. Elena, you have to believe me. I have no reason to lie to you." She pleaded.

"How did you find me?" I asked, that was the million dollar question I needed the answer to. I was completely anonymous here. No one was supposed to know, even my father whom I haven't seen in months.

"Your father. His friend at the blood bank contacted him and told him where you are." She said to me and I vowed to choose a new place to get blood from now on.

"Answer me one question "mother," where did dad go after he left me?" I demanded. I felt like I knew exactly where he went. But now I wanted to know why, and how long he had been planning this. Caroline sat down beside me as if she knew I needed the support. She was right. I had sent Damon away, so Caroline was easily the next best person to be here with me.

"He came back to us. He moved home to be with Jeremy and me. It's where he belongs, you know it as well as I do." She told me.

"Ok, well then what are you doing here? You know since you're so afraid of what I'm capable of." I demanded.

"I wanted to give you a warning. Your father is coming to teach at Whitmore again, and we're moving here to be with him. Your father and I want you gone by then. We don't want you around Jeremy because you're a monster. If you're not gone by next week, your father is going to force you out of town." The woman who was once my mother said to me.

"So you expect me to just pack up and leave because you and dad want me to?" I demanded.

"Yes. Your father has been trying to destroy you for a long time, he's bound to be successful this time." My mom said and I shook my head.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Every town you went to were vampire activity hubs. Your father was nearly positive each time that you would get caught and killed. He felt that he wouldn't have that on his conscience if you were killed by hunters. Your father knew he made a mistake when he saved you. He thought he couldn't bear to see you die, but now he realizes that you're a monster just like I do. His plan went awry when you found Caroline. So he left so he could regroup. Your choices are as follows, you can either leave, or you can stay and be killed. Your choice." She told me. Her voice was devoid of emotion. It killed me to see the woman who birthed me have no feelings at all for me. It hurt, but I could live with it.

"You're the monster Mrs. Gilbert. Elena is the furthest thing from a monster I've ever seen. She is the most caring, compassionate, amazing person I've ever met and I'm so lucky to have met her last year. Elena and I have put down roots here and we're not leaving without a fight." Caroline jumped in. I didn't know what to do. The thought of leaving Damon slayed me, but I knew how persistent my father could be. If he really wanted me dead, then he would most likely succeed.

"My only question is why are you warning me? Why not let him surprise me here and take me out?" I wanted to know.

"Because despite everything, I did give birth to you, so there are some lingering feelings. I may not ever want to see you, but that doesn't mean I want to see you die. You're a vampire, compel yourself some tickets and go live somewhere far away from here." She told me standing up.

"We're not going to let you walk all over us. You can leave now Mrs. Gilbert." Caroline ordered standing up.

"I will. Just remember you have one week to get your affairs in order, before the world as you know it comes crumbling down unless you make the wise decision." She told us before striding out of my house like she owns it. When I heard her car drive away, I sank into the cushions with my head in my hands. Go figure, I put down roots for the first time and now it's being forced away from me.

"We aren't going to let them run us out of town are we?" She asked me hopefully. I knew that Caroline would follow me wherever I chose to go. She'd said it many times, we're a team. We stick together.

"I don't see any other choice Care. We stay, we die." I said and she shook her head.

"You have Damon now. I have Tyler. We can't just give that up." She argued.

"I know and it's going to be hard. But I don't know how far my father is willing to go to get what he wants. What if he uses Damon, or Tyler against us? Will you be able to stomach the idea of something happening to them because we're being selfish? I don't think I could. If my dad turns the entire town on us, we're going to lose them anyway. Mayor Lockwood doesn't like you anyway, what will she think if she finds out you're a vampire?" I asked and she sniffled.

"I just love our lives so much here. I'm going to miss Tyler. He might not be my epic love but at the very least I love spending time with him. It's always been easy for me to move on, but this might be different. I love this town. It feels like home." She said sadly.

"Imagine how I feel. I'm nearly positive that Damon is my soul mate no matter how corny that sounds and I'm about to lose him." I told her and she sniffled again.

"You know I'll follow you anywhere, so if you think we should leave, then we will. I just wish we wouldn't. What are you going to do about Damon?" She asked me and I shrugged.

"My head thinks I should be with him tonight but tell him I'm leaving town and we can't see each other again. The longer I spend with him the harder it's going to be to leave. But my heart says spend every possible second with him and beg him to come with us when we leave. But I can't do that. I can't take him away from his family." I said. I didn't know what to do, it was an impossible situation. The worst thing I could imagine was hurting him again and it was inevitable.

"I need to spend as much time as I can with Tyler. I'll tell him we're leaving tonight and that I want to be with him every possible second until next week when we're gone." Caroline decided and I wished I could be more like her. I wished I could make a decision like the one she made. She made it sound so easy, even though I knew the decision was anything but.

"I'll give you tonight with Tyler, I should call Damon. He's probably worried." I said. It was early evening now, and I had promised to call him when I was done with our visitor. He was probably thinking the worst.

He answered on the first ring and I asked him to come pick me up. I knew he was wondering what took so long, so I steeled myself to tell him when he picked me up. Tyler pulled up a few minutes later and I smiled as I went to stand on the porch to wait for Damon. He pulled up a couple minutes after Tyler so I walked out to his car and got in.

"Is everything okay?" He asked and I offered him a smile, hoping he couldn't see through how fake it was. I didn't have it in me to pretend, but I needed to until I knew for sure what I was going to say.

"We should go pick up my car, then I'll go over to your house with you. Caroline has Tyler over for the night." I told him and he nodded. It was like he knew there was something wrong, but he was keeping his mouth shut for the time being. We drove to the Falls and dropped me off by my car.

"I'll meet you at my place." He said and I smiled and got into my car. When Damon pulled away, I followed him. At his house he was leaning against his car when I pulled up. "Now you're going to tell me the truth."

"Later, your parents are by the door." I told him hearing then speaking from just inside the door.

"Yeah, they're going to some sort of charity barbeque tonight. They wanted us to come but I declined." He responded as we walked up the front walk with our hands swinging between us. We needed to let it appear that there was nothing wrong.

"Are you sure we can't convince the two of you to come along? It's probably your only chance for Stefan to ever cook for you." Damon's dad asked him when we walked in. He was referring to the charity barbeque the football team was putting on. Tyler was skipping it to be with Caroline, and the cheerleaders were exempt since they weren't an actual part of the team. The cheerleaders had a carwash that Caroline and I weren't going to be here to participate in.

"No, we made plans to go out for dinner, just the two of us tonight." Damon lied. We hadn't made any plans but I was glad he came up with something. We needed to talk even though I still had no idea what to say to him. I needed to come up with something quickly because Damon's dad clapped his shoulder and took Lily's hand as the three of them left the house. When the car pulled down the driveway Damon turned to me expectantly.

"Okay, where do I start?" I asked as I walked up the stairs. I wanted to have this conversation in the privacy of his bedroom. I felt safe and comfortable there. Nothing could touch me if I was in his arms.

"The beginning. Who was at your house?" He asked softly.

"My mother. She showed up to warn me that my father was out to kill me and had been since the year I turned and I took a bite out of a guy in New York. My parents are moving here with my brother Jeremy next week. Oddly enough my dad is legitimately going to start teaching at Whitmore while they live here. But he doesn't want me around when that happens, so he gave Caroline and I an ultimatum to get out of town before next week or else he's going to kill us." I explained, shortening the story.

"You're not going to go, though. You and Caroline are vampires, against him. It's a no contest. You're not leaving, right?" He asked looking panicked for a brief moment.

"Damon…" I trailed off.

"No. Damn it Elena, I just got you. I'm not letting you go so soon." He argued. I knew how he felt, the idea of leaving him was killing me too.

"We don't have a choice. He'll tell everyone that I'm a vampire. My father won't have to even lay a single finger on me. It'll all be done without his input. Or worst case, he targets you to get to me. I couldn't handle it if something happened to you." I pleaded.

"You don't have to worry about me Elena. I don't want you to leave. We can figure it out." He said taking my hand and kissing the back of it.

"I wish we could. But we can't. I refuse to put the people I love at risk." I insisted.

"What about the person I love? I love you Elena, and I'm not going to sit back and watch you leave me here to rot. We can do this, Elena. We can convince the town of your goodness. We'll start with my mom and dad. We can figure this out, Elena. Don't let a little threat ruin what we have. Please Elena." He pleaded.

"I don't like risking you." I said with a shake of my head.

"You won't. I'll do whatever you ask of me. If you want me to only be with you or locked up in my room to keep me safe, I will. I won't like it, but it's better than losing you. You finally have a home and I don't want you to lose it. I won't lose you Elena." He said.

"All that sounds so good Damon, I just fear that it won't work out like that." I sighed. He was making me lose my resistance. I was supposed to come in here and tell him I was leaving. I was supposed to not let those blue eyes affect the decision I had to make. But here I was thinking that maybe he was right. That maybe we could fight my dad.

"I'm sure it'll be more difficult than I made it sound, but we'll get through it. We have until next week to get it something figured out. If we can convince the town that you're okay then your father won't be able to convince them you're a monster. It will work." He spoke confidently. I don't know if he was really feeling that confidence, or if he was just trying to convince me.

"Damon, I don't know. It sounds so good but I can't." I said.

"So you're just going to leave me like we never shared anything at all? You're going to be able to walk away from me?" He demanded, the hopeful look on his face gone now. It was replaced with a completely disheartened look and I hated that I was the one who put it there.

"You think I'm going to be able to walk away from you? No I won't. It's probably going to kill me. When a vampire falls in love like this, they love forever. You'll move on, you'll meet someone new, but not me. You may think I'm being selfish, but this is the most selfless thing I've ever done. I can't be selfish with you. I love you Damon. Damn it I love you so much that even thinking about leaving you, leaves an aching hole in my chest. I can't do it, but I'm doing it for you." I ranted, somewhere along the way flashing from the bed to the floor where I started pacing. I didn't stop ranting until he touched my hand, stopping me.

"I'm never going to move on either." He said just before he kissed me. I didn't hold back this time, I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly as he kissed me. I slipped my hands under his t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head. He broke the kiss long enough to let me throw his shirt to the floor before his lips were back on mine. His arms tightened around me and it was like we couldn't be close enough. With my hands on his chest I pushed him back towards his massive bed. He fell backwards onto it and I climbed up so I was straddling his waist. He broke the kiss once enough only long enough to pull my shirt over my head leaving me clad in my lacy blood red bra. He suddenly flipped me over so he was straddling me. If he wanted to take control I would be more than willing to let him.

"I need you Damon." I whispered and he pulled away. I was devastated until I realized he was undoing his pants. He pushed them down along with his boxers before helping me with mine. I was far too desperate for anymore playing. I just needed him. Right. Now. When he crawled back onto the bed, I beckoned him forward as I moved further onto the bed. Hanging half off the bed just wasn't comfortable.

"God I need this so much." He groaned into my ear. I could feel how hard he was between us and I knew he wasn't lying. He needed me about as much as I needed him.

"Please, take me." I begged and he slowly sank inside me inch by glorious inch. Once he was fully seated inside me he started moving. He was far bigger than what I was used to but it was perfect. Everything was perfect right now so I stayed in the moment. He rocked into me several times, the pace slow and sweet. It was like he was trying to convince me that I needed to be here with him instead of running. The problem was that it was working. My demon was close to the surface as he brought me higher and higher. I wasn't that controlled that it wouldn't come out when I was heightened in any way.

"You can show me." He said and I didn't know he was paying that close of attention to my expressions. When he said that I let go and veins enveloped my eyes and my fangs popped into place. "Beautiful." He said when he thrust a couple more times before I came. I called out his name in bliss and I was only vaguely aware when he followed me over the precipice.

A few minutes later we were lying in each other's arms, legs tangled.

"I don't want to fight anymore. But please don't leave me. There is always another option." He whispered into the darkness of the room.

"How can you be sure?" I asked hopefully.

"Because the universe wouldn't have given me you only to take you away so soon. Not even they are that cruel." He whispered.

"I'm not entirely convinced of that fact, but I'll try. I'll try to stay because this is my home. I'm not ready to lose it." I decided. He grinned and leaned over and kissed me once more.

"So what finally convinced you? Was it the mind-blowing sex?" He asked and I laughed and shook my head.

"Now, the mind-blowing sex only served to remind me just how much I love you. It would physically hurt to be separated from you now." I told him.

"Well I'm glad. I'll protect you Elena. I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered vehemently.

"You have to promise me something though. If it goes south you have to not try and save me. Don't get involved Damon. In the end this is between my father and me, I can't let you get hurt." I whispered. It took him a few minutes but eventually he nodded.

"It won't come to anything like that. The town will believe in you like I do." He spoke certainly.

"I certainly hope so." I whispered before closing my eyes with my forehead against his chest. His arms tightened around me and held me against his chest trying to protect me from my own nightmares.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning I woke up still scared about staying. Risking Damon was the worst possible thing I could think of. I didn't take it well when those I loved were threatened and with my father coming back to town to get rid of me was a distinct possibility.

"What do we do?" I asked quietly. He was awake too, he was holding me tight and I didn't want him to let go.

"We talk to my mom. You helped her so she's going to be the more open minded of the two of my parents. My dad will be okay with it too but it'll be better to go through my mom first." Damon decided. I nodded still terrified at the prospect of staying in a place that I was not wanted. My dad would do everything in my power to make sure I was no longer here. The betrayal still stung horribly. I couldn't believe that the man who had protected me had been undermining my safety the entire time. I focused my hearing and heard Damon's dad conveniently leave to go pick up breakfast for everyone. I almost laughed when Lily reminded him that I was here yet again in the morning. I could almost picture Mr. Salvatore rolling his eyes at the comment.

"It would be a good time to do that now, your dad just left to pick up breakfast." I told him with a sigh. I didn't want to complicate his family's life. I was complicated personified.

"Okay." Damon agreed. We dressed in silence and walked downstairs hand in hand. The only way I was even entertaining the idea of staying was if we could convince Damon's parents that I wasn't dangerous. If I couldn't convince them, then Caroline and I would be gone.

"Good morning you two. I know I should be concerned that you're spending so much time together and spending so many nights together but I assume you're being responsible. I just got my sanity back, it's no time for grandchildren." She teased and we both laughed hollowly.

"I was just teasing, I hope by now you both know how to be safe. So what's wrong?" She asked concerned now.

"We need to talk to you, mom. It's important so maybe you should sit down." Damon said and she sat and pursed her lips.

"You're not pregnant are you? It's far too early for that and I still want my son to go to college and get out of Mystic Falls." She asked worried.

"I'm not pregnant, it's actually bigger than that. So you know how you were cured from your disease? Do you remember anything about that night?" I asked her.

"I remember an angel telling me that I wasn't going to be ill any longer. She was beautiful. She looked a lot like you come to think of it." She said with a question in her voice.

"That's because it was me. I cured you, Mrs. Salvatore." I told her and her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"I don't understand. How could you cure me? Doctors couldn't, so how could one normal teenage girl?" She asked and I sighed.

"I'm not a normal teenage girl. I'm a vampire Mrs. Salvatore. I used mind control to cure you from your affliction. I knew it hurt Damon to see you so ill all the time and I wanted to do that for you." I told her.

"Did you know she was a vampire?" She asked Damon. She seemingly went straight to believing me and asking her son about it. That was one big step we got to skip thankfully.

"I did and I still love her. It was hard to get past at first but then I realized that she's still the girl I fell in love with except that she did the impossible for us. She fixed you so you can be my mom again. Don't hold something that wasn't her fault against her, please." Damon implored and she sighed.

"Someone who is a danger to us wouldn't have saved me like that, so I believe that you're good. But why are you telling me this now? Wouldn't it have just been easier to let me believe that you're human and normal forever? You've been doing such a good job of it." She asked and Damon took my hand.

"Elena is in danger. Her father doesn't want her living in Mystic Falls and he's going to come here and remove her by force if necessary. I don't want her to leave. I'm in love with her, mom. I need her to stay here with me." Damon explained.

"So what are you planning?" She asked.

"We need as many people in town to believe that she's good and safe. Her dad is coming to town next week and if she's still here he's going to turn the entire town against her and Caroline. She'll be killed. You know how the town is about vampires." Damon said.

"So you're plan is to tell everyone what you are and convince them that you're not dangerous. What happens when your father shows up and notices that his plan won't work?" She asked.

"We don't know. I don't know how far he's willing to go to get rid of me. Just know one thing, he won't ever have a chance to target Damon. I won't allow it. Damon is the most important person in the world to me and I won't let anything happen to him." I vowed.

"That's all I needed to hear. You most definitely have my support. You'll also have your fathers. He'll see it the same way I did." She told us and I smiled and thanked her.

After we talked to Damon's dad who took a little more convincing we drove back to my house.

"So what are you going to tell Caroline?" Damon asked as we drove.

"I'm going to tell her that we're staying here. She's going to be so happy." I told him as we walked up the front walk. When we walked in the front door all we could hear were Caroline's sobs and Tyler comforting her in the living room.

"Care?" I asked when we joined her.

"I didn't think you were going to be home for a while. I just needed to get it off my chest." She said wiping her eyes.

"So you guys are really going to let your asshole father run you out of town?" Tyler demanded.

"If you'd just simmer down and let me speak I'd tell you what's going to happen." I said back. I wasn't overly fond of Tyler but Caroline was so I had to tolerate him.

"Why do you get to make all the decisions? Shouldn't it be Caroline's choice if she stays or goes?" He demanded.

"Tyler, no." Caroline said.

"Why the hell not? Why is she your boss? You're old enough to make your own choices too." Tyler said again and I rolled my eyes.

"Listen to me, Caroline has every right to make her own choices if she chose to stay then that would be her choice, but…" I started.

"Elena no, you and I are a package deal. I go where you go. If there was any other way we wouldn't have to leave, but there clearly isn't." Caroline told me and I reached across to take her hand in mine. I offered her a small smile before leaning forward.

"Now if you'd let me finish, we're not going anywhere. We're not letting my father destroy the only happiness I've known in so long. You're happy here, Care, and I'm happier than I've ever been. That's far too much to give up." I told her. Her elated smile told me that she was officially happier than she's ever been as well.

"We're staying? But how? What about your father?" She asked, her eyes watery again.

"We'll deal with it. Right now our plan of attack is to make sure everyone knows we're vampires and that we're safe. Then he can't turn the entire town against us. It'll be just him and whatever army he brings with." I told her.

"Are you sure it's not too much to risk? I don't want you to make this choice that you think is wrong just because of me." She asked and I shook my head.

"You were a part of it, but I am happy here and he shouldn't be able to take that from us. We're not going to let him." I vowed. Caroline smiled before launching herself across the table to hug me.

"I knew there was a reason that you're my best friend in the whole world, Lena." She said and I laughed and held her tight. It wasn't going to be easy but there wasn't much Caroline and I couldn't do together.


	12. Chapter 12

By the end of the week we had more or less convinced most of the town that we were safe. Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore had been supremely helpful in that endeavor, telling everyone how it was me who cured Lily. There were still some people who didn't trust us being here but for the most part everyone was on board.

"Your dad is due to be here today. What are we going to do?" Caroline asked me and I sighed. This was the part I wasn't looking forward to. I didn't want to look into his eyes and see the man that was supposed to love me no matter what. I couldn't bear to see him with a look of hate in his eyes. He wanted me dead, no father should ever want his daughter dead. It just wasn't right.

"We're going to stay here until they get here. We're not going to fight them, we'll leave the house to them but we're not leaving town. I just want to be here when he gets here so he knows we're not giving up." I told her and she nodded.

"What do you think he's capable of?" Caroline asked and I shrugged because I honestly had no idea. I never would have thought that my father would ever conspire against me, but here we were.

"What do you want us to do?" Damon asked of him and Tyler. Damon and Tyler pretty much outright hated each other but they were tolerating each other for Caroline and I.

"I want you to go home and stay away from me until there is no one watching. I don't want you to be put in any kind of danger because of me. I can't handle you being in danger. We need to be apart until this is dealt with. He can't know that you're my weakness." I told him.

"I don't like that idea." He stated.

"We won't be apart all of the time. I'll come to you at night when it's safe. We just can't be together in public until the threat is neutralized." I told him and he nodded.

"I told you I would play this your way, so I'm going to. I promised you. I just hate that you're going through this alone." He said and I shook my head.

"I'm never alone. I have Caroline and I'll still have you when all of this is over. I love you Damon, but you should get going. I don't know when he's going to be here." I told him.

"Okay, I'll see you later." He said kissing me passionately. We couldn't guarantee that we would see each other again, but I was going to do everything in my power to ensure that I go back to him.

"I'll keep you posted." I promised as he walked outside to his car. I watched until his car disappeared around the corner before stepping back inside and turning to Caroline.

"I don't know about him but I'm not staying in my house all the time pretending that my life is in danger. No way in hell. I have football practice and I have to hang out with my friends. I have an image to uphold." Tyler stated firmly and I shrugged my shoulders.

"You should be fine. My dad isn't after you or even really Caroline. He's after me. He just knows that Caroline and I are a package deal." I said with a shrug as I walked upstairs to my bedroom. I was going to take it easy until my family showed up. I used to think that my family was so normal but now I know that's really not the case. My family is about as broken as you can get.

I was sitting on my bed not wanting to leave this place when there was a knock on the door. Caroline poked her head inside and came and sat beside me.

"I haven't really asked how you're doing. I've been more worried about me. I'm sorry." She said laying her head on my shoulder.

"It's okay. You're my best friend and you know I'm doing okay." I told her with a smile.

"But you're not. It can't be easy knowing your dad is after you and wanting you dead. I've been so selfish, only thinking of myself. I should have just listened to you, we would have been gone by now but we would have been safe. I'll always choose you over any guy or anyone else. You're my family Elena." She told me.

"We need to hide all evidence of anyone we don't want them to find." I said grabbing a picture I had just gotten of Damon and I. I put it in my bag and quickly checked to make sure there was nothing else that tied Damon to me. I couldn't be too careful.

"We'll get through this and it'll be just fine. You'll see. It'll end up just fine." Caroline assured me but I wasn't so sure. I just had a bad feeling about all of it. I was scared to death because I didn't know what was going to happen.

We were sitting on the couch when we heard cars pull up outside.

"Ready?" I asked Caroline and she shook her head, she didn't need to say anything for me to know that she was scared. "Let's go." We walked outside and my mom and dad both stopped what they were doing to look at me.

"Elena, I thought I told you to leave." My mom said.

"We decided after you left that we weren't going anywhere. You can't kick us out of our home, it's not going to happen. You can do whatever you think you have to but it's not going to work. We took some precautions."

"You think the town of Mystic Falls is going to be pleased to find out one of their residents is a vampire? I don't think they will, considering how anti vampire this place is." My dad demanded.

"You can tell them, but you'll find that they already know. That is one of the precautions I was talking about." I told him. He stepped back and glared for a moment before regaining his composure.

"You're telling me that you convinced the town that you're safe to be around?" He demanded before starting to laugh.

"Don't believe me but I've spent the past few days forging a relationship with the townspeople. They know what I am and they know who I am. I'm the vampire who saved one of their own from delusions that was ruining her life and her family." I told him.

"Don't try to fight this Elena, you will lose. Good always triumphs over evil." He told me.

"You're right, good always does triumph. I'm not going anywhere." I told him firmly. Caroline and I stood our ground as they stood before us. I didn't see Jeremy but I knew he couldn't be far.

"My friends will force you out of here Elena, if that's what it takes. We wanted to give you a chance to leave without dying." My dad said.

"I'm more than willing to give up the house for now, but you're not taking this town from me. I'm not going anywhere." I told him crossing my arms. He had to know now that I was not backing down without a fight. He would have to kill me to get me to leave this town.

"I'll start with the house, but I will be ending with the entire town. You will leave here, either willingly or unwillingly. You should have just died when I wanted you to in the first place." He said and I shook my head.

"You're an asshole." I hissed.

"I will find your weakness here in Mystic Falls. One doesn't just put down roots somewhere and not get attached to anyone. I'll find your friends. Caroline, I'm giving you one chance to talk Elena out of being this stupid. Tyler Lockwood isn't invincible." He said turning his focus onto Caroline.

"Don't you harm a hair on Tyler's head. I'll revel in killing you." She hissed.

"I'll stand by her and watch her kill you if you do anything to anyone we care about here." I warned him.

"I struck a nerve then. Just leave and Tyler Lockwood will remain safe. I know Caroline's weakness, now it's just time to find Elena's. Get out of my house before I throw you out." He said and I shrugged.

"We'll leave for now, but this is not over." I said grabbing my bag and Caroline's before leading her out to our car.

"He won't hurt Tyler will he?" She asked worried as we drove to Damon's house. It was the safest place for us, it was far enough to the outskirts of town that no one would find us there. My dad didn't know about Damon, so it was safe for us to be there.

"No, there is no way he'll do anything to the heir of Mystic Falls. He's the mayor's son, which makes him untouchable." I promised her and she nodded.

"Why are we going to Damon's? What if we're being followed?" She asked.

"We're not. Besides we're taking the scenic route, anyone trying to follow would have gotten lost by now." I said. When we got to Damon's, I pulled the car into the garage in the spot that Damon's parents had left for me. They didn't want my car out in the open. Damon was waiting for me in the family room when I walked in.

"How did it go?" He asked frantically.

"Not well. This is not going to end well. My dad means business." I told him.

"Don't do anything stupid Elena. I don't want to live somewhere you don't exist." He told me.

"Remember that advice for yourself. Don't try to be the hero." I begged him.

"I already promised that I would stay out of it. Just be careful Elena. I can't lose you." He told me and I kissed him briefly.

"You won't. I promise you." I whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

**We're getting to the end of this story. Thanks for sticking with it for so long. As always let me know what you think.**

* * *

The next morning I woke up to lips ghosting over my skin slowly and tenderly. I opened my eyes and smiled at Damon who was partially sitting up, balanced on his arm.

"I was wondering when you'd finally wake up." He said and I laughed and pushed him down.

"That felt so nice, I thought maybe I was dreaming." I told him as I yawned. When I was in bed with him it felt like things might work out. I forgot all about the threat outside these safe walls.

"I figure we need to take all the time we can to be together." He said kissing my forehead.

"Is that you're way of saying we should have sex?" I asked with a coy smile on my face.

"If that's what you got out of that, I'm not going to object." He laughed.

"For the record I agree with you. Besides we're not going to see each other much today so we should spend as much time together right now as we can. Our problems don't come into bed with us." I told him and he nodded. There were no need for words from then because he rolled me onto my back after I lifted my arms and he pulled his t-shirt off of me. After he shucked off his boxer briefs I rolled on top of me and silenced me with a kiss. His hardness was between us and I wanted him inside me right now. I had to take every opportunity to love him. This was a golden opportunity. I reached between us and wrapped my hand around him as he kissed me. His kisses were drugging and they made me want to do nothing else in my life but keep kissing him. Our kisses were languid and our bodies weren't rushed.

"I love you so much." He whispered against my lips when he broke the kiss to breath. My hand was still wrapped around his erection until he covered my hand with his and pulled my hand away.

"If you keep doing that, this will be over before it's even begun." He warned me and I didn't want that. I wanted him inside me so I reluctantly took my hand off of him. He took my hands in his and raised them so my hands were above my head. He held them down with one hand while he positioned his erection at my entrance. When he slowly pushed inside he entwined our hands above my head and held tight as he started to slowly move. He didn't pick up his pace, he went at this deliciously slow pace designed to drive me crazy but make me come at the same time.

"I love you too." I replied long after his declaration of love. I loved him more than anyone I've ever known. The only other person I loved as much as I loved Damon was Caroline. But that was a far different kind of love. Caroline was my sister in everything but genes. Damon was the love of my life. He kept moving and I kept my noises to a minimum. I knew Caroline could hear enough to know that she wouldn't want to barge in here. Closed doors were rarely a deterrent to Caroline Forbes. But somehow I still loved her anyway, despite all of her flaws. I held onto Damon's hands harder the closer to the edge I got. It felt like I was about to tumble off the edge, I was so ready to come it was ridiculous.

"I'm so close." I said to him and he covered my lips with his again. His thrusts were getting faster and more erratic and I knew he was chasing his orgasm. He hit a different spot inside me and it was enough to send me tumbling over the edge, biting my lip just in time to stop from calling out his name in passion. He followed right behind me, burying his head in my neck to stop from calling out my name. He stayed like that for several minutes after we both came. I knew he didn't want to be apart from me because I felt the same way. We were bonded in every sense of the word. I couldn't bear the idea of being apart from him but I knew I would have to. It would hurt so much more to lose him.

"Are you guys decent yet?" Caroline called from outside the bedroom door.

"Not really. We have blankets on." I called back as Damon pulled out of me and lay down beside me with me in his arms.

"Good enough." She said walking into the bedroom.

"What can I do for you?" I asked her seeing her all ready to get on with her day. She was wearing a denim mini-skirt and a pink tank top. She looked like nothing was wrong, I wasn't sure if I could put that kind of effort into my appearance. I would be lucky if I was able to put yoga pants and a hoodie on. There were far more important things to do.

"I just need to know what the plan is for today. If you don't need me, I'm going to stick with Tyler and the guys. I need to make sure they stay safe even though Tyler should be safe because he's a Lockwood." She told me and I nodded.

"That's a good idea. I don't know what I'm doing yet, all I know is I need to stay away from this house and away from Damon. I can't let them see us together." I told her and she agreed with me.

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs, it's probably time for you two to get dressed." She said and I laughed.

"Do we have to?" Damon whined and Caroline and I both laughed.

"Unfortunately." I told him. Caroline left the room, shutting the door behind her and we got out of bed. We got dressed silently before heading downstairs.

"So I'll see you tonight, right?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes, Caroline and I will be back later on. We just don't want to come back so early that someone sees us." I told him.

"Be safe out there." He said kissing me by the door to the garage. We kissed for a couple minutes before Caroline loudly cleared her throat.

"Can we leave? Please? As much as I love seeing you make out, we should really be going." She said and I laughed and gave Damon one more peck on the lips.

I dropped Caroline off at the school where the guys were having football practice before heading to the Grill to sit down. I waved to people who waved at me and fought the urge to scan the area every thirty seconds. I wasn't sure if he was sending people after me or if they had a sneakier plan. I was afraid and being alone really made that worse. I wished they would just come at me but that would never do. My dad was playing mind games and that made it so much worse. When I was finished at the Grill I drove past the house and I saw that the car was gone. But I could see movement inside so I figured my dad left to set his plan in motion, whatever that may be. My suspicions were confirmed when my mom poked her head through the curtains. I looked at my phone and saw a text message from Caroline, assuring me that everything was still fine on her end. I was getting antsy, I just wanted something to happen one way or another.

Change happened when I got a call from Damon a couple hours later.

"Damon?" I answered worried. If he was calling me then there must be some sort of problem.

"Elena, somehow I knew you'd answer." I knew that voice anywhere.

"What are you doing with Damon? Don't you dare hurt him, I will kill you." I warned him and he just laughed.

"I don't plan on hurting him sweetheart. I only plan on doing to him what needs to be done to get you out of my life." He said and didn't know what to do.

"I'll leave town. Just let Damon go." I pleaded. I didn't know how he found out about me and Damon. We've been so careful. He must have a spy or something.

"I'm afraid that's not enough anymore, you'll have to die. It's a life for a life Elena." He told me.

"But where are you? I don't even know where you are. I'll do whatever it takes to save him." I said and I meant it. I would willingly die for Damon to live.

"I look forward to seeing you." He said but I found I had no idea where he was. I raked my fingers through my hair and vamp sped to Damon's house. Vamp speed was so much faster than my car. I didn't have to worry about stop signs or lights.

At Damon's house all the cars were still outside so I ran inside frantically. I hoped maybe my father would have wanted me to overthink it but he had Damon here. I found Giuseppe and Lily watching TV in the family room and they looked up concerned when they saw the terror on my face.

"Where's Damon, Elena?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. My father has him, I was hoping he would have kept him here." I said tears coming to my eyes now.

"Your father has my son? How did this happen?" Lily asked covering her mouth with her hands. I could see the tears brimming in her eyes and I could barely hold mine back.

"I don't know. I'm going to find out but I have to find him first. Do you have any idea where they could have gone?" I asked.

"I have a GPS tracker on both of my son's phones. I'll track Damon." Giuseppe said pulling his phone out. In a matter of seconds he had a location on Damon. It said it was in the middle of nowhere.

"I know where that is. Do you remember the story of the old Lockwood house back in the 1800's? The cellar is still there, the rumours say the cellar had been transformed into a dungeon of sorts back then. That's where they must have Damon." She said.

"I know where that is." I said not wasting anymore time in rushing from the house. I rushed out to the location that Giuseppe had given me and found the stairs to the cellar. When I got down there I walked through a set of doors and nearly broke down. Damon was there tied to a chair with my father standing menacingly over him.

"Let him go, now." I ordered and my father turned to face me with a smile on his face.

"Elena, I'm glad you found us." He said with a smile.

"Just let him go, you can do whatever you need to, to me. You just have to let him go." I begged.

"That's an intriguing offer, Elena. I will most likely take it." He said nodding.

"How did you get to him?" I demanded. I had thought I had him completely safe, but apparently I was wrong.

"It wasn't hard. After I found him I called his cell phone and told him I had you. He of course came running, which was when I captured him. Young love is so beautiful, just not when it involves a monster like you." He said.

"How could you go from promising to always protect me to undermining my safety, to finally kidnapping my boyfriend and threatening to kill him. You call yourself a good person, but the man standing there before me is the opposite. I'm not he monster, you are." I told him.

"So says the bloodsucker." My dad laughed cruelly.

"Let Damon go or else I won't be responsible for what happens to you. You can have me, you can kill me if you need to. But let him go." I pleaded. I realized that fighting with him wasn't the way to go right now. I was outnumbered even though I couldn't see anyone else right now. My dad would never go into battle with a vampire alone. Even his own daughter.

"No Elena. You are not giving your life for me." Damon insisted.

"I don't have a choice. You have a life to live, I'm already dead." I said.

The next minutes went by in a blur and I don't honestly know what happened. All of a sudden Damon broke the ties holding him in place, and charged at my dad. He tackled my dad and levelled one good punch to his jaw when I saw a man with a gun step out of the shadows. I sped over to him and broke his neck but not before a shot rang out and Damon fell. I screamed and rushed over but before I got to him I was attacked from behind and everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

I woke up in the same place that I fell but when I looked over Damon was gone. I didn't understand where he could be unless my father took him again.

"Elena, you're back." Caroline said rushing in and kneeling beside me. The man whose neck I'd broken was still lying there and I was glad he was dead.

"Damon?" I asked her sitting up.

"You weren't answering your phone so I got worried. I tracked you here and you were down and Damon was bleeding and I knew you'd want me to get him out of here. So I took him to the hospital." She told me.

"Did you give him your blood?" I asked her. I didn't know what I wanted her to say. I hated the idea of my best friend giving my boyfriend her blood, but at the same time I would rather anything than him being dead.

"No, his wound didn't look life threatening. I just rushed him to the hospital and called his parents. I just really hope that I wasn't wrong." She told me.

"Where is my father?" I demanded.

"He was gone by the time I got here. I don't know where he would have gone, but he for sure knows that you're not going to stay dead." She told me and I was angrier than I'd ever been. I was angry enough that killing my father seemed like the only way to get through this. If I lost Damon I would kill every single person that my dad knew with the exception of my mom and brother.

"I need to see Damon." I said standing up. Caroline nodded and pulled me up from the floor. "How is Tyler?"

"He's fine. I left when I got worried about you. They're not after me, they're only after you. I should have known that and never left you. Tyler was always perfectly safe." She told me.

"I wish I'd never met Damon." I said closing my eyes.

"No you don't." She said soothingly.

"Yes I do. If I hadn't his life would still be normal. He wouldn't have just gotten shot trying to be the hero. I told him not to be the hero." I cried.

"Just go see him. I feel good about him living. He's not going to die on you. He'll live for you." She comforted me and I tried to nod.

At the hospital I found Damon's parents and Stefan in the waiting room.

"Any word?" I asked when I rushed over to them. Lily wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight.

"What happened?" She asked tearfully.

"I got there and my father had him somehow tied to a chair. But he got himself free and charged my dad. One of his partners stepped out of the shadows and pulled a gun. I attacked him and killed him but he was able to pull the trigger. I never thought. I should have taken the gun, not killed him. I was about to get to Damon and give him my blood to save him but someone must have broken my neck. When I woke up he was gone." I told her.

"Caroline got him and brought him to the hospital and called us." She told me and I nodded.

"She told me that when I woke up. Can I see him?" I asked hopefully.

"He's still in surgery. He lost a lot of blood." Giuseppe said and tears filled my eyes again.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked and Giuseppe shrugged his shoulders and the tears spilled down my cheek.

"I'm sorry Elena. He lost a lot of blood and he was in critical condition." He told me. Caroline stepped closer to me and put her hand on my back. I turned around and hugged her.

"I'm sorry Elena. I know I should have healed him." She said and I shook my head and hugged her harder.

"This isn't your fault Care. You got him here." I told her.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked and I raised my head and put a determined mask on my face.

"I'm going to find my father and kill everyone working with him on the way." I told her. Caroline nodded and released me.

"I'm coming with you." She declared and I knew she would. I knew Caroline and there is no way she'd let me go through this alone.

"Call me if anything changes." I turned and said to Lily and Giuseppe.

"Where are you going?" Giuseppe asked having not heard my conversation with Caroline. I didn't want them to hear what I was planning.

"I'm going to get retribution for Damon. I'm going to have a few words with my father." I said before leaving the hospital.

I drove to the house and saw that it was swarming with armed men.

"Divide and conquer?" Caroline asked and I nodded. I may not have had a lot of experience killing people but I was running on emotion. I was an unhinged vampire right now so I intended on letting my instincts take over. We got out of the car and attacked before the men could shoot at us. We both knew better than to bite any of them due to the vervain. We were careful to try not to kill them all. We disarmed them and Caroline tied them to the porch while I walked up the stairs and kicked in the door. Caroline followed behind me and we found my dad, mom and Jeremy in the family room.

"You guys need to get out of here. I need to have a few words with him." I said. My vampire side was on the surface and I could see the fear in my mom and Jeremy's face.

"Don't hurt your dad, he's a good man." My mom pleaded.

"Would a good man have an eighteen your old man shot?" I demanded.

"He had it coming. He was fraternizing with the enemy." My dad shot in.

"You had to know this was coming. If Damon dies, you die. You hear me?" I demanded.

"You guys need to leave." Caroline ordered.

"No. We are not leaving you alone with my husband." My mom said.

"Alright then." Caroline decided, grabbing my mom's upper arm and motioning for Jeremy to walk. Jeremy was terrified and I knew he didn't want to be there. The only person I felt bad for at all was Jeremy. He was innocent in all of this.

"Are you going to kill him?" Jeremy asked and I shook my head. I didn't intend on killing him as long as nothing happened to Damon. Caroline escorted them outside and I heard their car start up. She came back in and sat down waiting for instruction from me.

"So what are we going to do to him?" Caroline asked.

"We're taking him to where he had Damon. He's going to stay there with us until the vervain is out of his system. Then we're going to compel him to leave town forever and never come back." I told her.

"It'll never work. They will come for me." He said.

"Oh you mean the twelve men you had outside guarding the house? Where do you think they were when we broke in?" I asked humourlessly.

"I figured they went on patrol. You disposed of them?" He asked.

"Well unlike you, I don't kill everyone in my path who disagrees with me. They're simply tied up and unarmed. Completely useless to you. Caroline searched them for all weapons." I told him with a shrug. It was easy not to care about anything when my demon was on the surface.

"You're never going to get away with this." He hissed as I pulled him up and pushed him outside and into the backseat of the car. I sat in the back with him as Caroline drove us back to the Lockwood ruins.

Once I had my father tied to a chair in a knot that even the most experienced escape artist couldn't get out of, I sat down in front of him and tried compelling him. When his eyes didn't dilate I knew he was completely full of vervain.

"So now we can make this go fast and I can bleed the vervain out of you, or we'll sit and wait until it's gone. Should only take a few days." I said immediately knowing I would go with option two. I couldn't stand the idea of hurting my dad even now when he's done so much to hurt me. A few hours later I got the call I was waiting for and I asked Caroline to stay with my dad so I could rush to the hospital. Caroline hugged me as I left and I made it to the hospital in record time. When I got there his parents were in his hospital room and I wasn't sure if I should go in.

"Come on in." Lily said when she saw me standing there. I smiled and rushed over to the bed and hugged him as best I could.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." I whispered.

"It's okay, because we're both still here. What happened with your dad?" He asked concerned.

"You don't have to worry about it. Just know that I'm taking care of it." I promised.

"Don't do anything you'll regret. I don't want you to change." He pleaded and I shook my head.

"I'm not going to kill him. But I do have to get rid of him." I told him.

"What are you going to do?" He asked again.

"I'm keeping him hostage until the vervain is out of his system. Then I'll compel him to leave Mystic Falls forever." I told him and he smiled.

"I knew you'd find a blood free way to get rid of them. What happened to the guy who shot me?" He asked and I looked away.

"I killed him. I know you probably don't approve but I really don't know what else I could have done." I whispered.

"It's okay, I would have done the same thing." He promised.

I stayed with Damon for the next three days, never leaving the hospital. I got periodic updates from Caroline as she tested his blood daily for traces of vervain. On the third day she called and said that he's vervain free.

"I have to go, I'll be back later." I told him giving him a kiss.

"Okay." He said as I got up to leave. Damon was getting released after I took care of my dad. I didn't want him out of the hospital until everything was taken care of. It only took a quick dose of compulsion to get exactly what I wanted in this case. When I got back to the ruins I went down and found Caroline and my dad.

"Vervain free?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yep." She affirmed and I nodded and took her chair in front of him.

"You are going to leave town and never come back. You're going to forget I exist, you're going to think I died the night of the vampire attack. None of this ever happened." I compelled him. When I was done I untied him and sent him on his way. I had already compelled my mom and Jeremy to forget about everything including me as well. Everything was taken care of and I was finally safe.


	15. Chapter 15

_A few weeks later_

Damon and I walked onto the quad Friday morning hand in hand. In the past few weeks nothing bad had happened and I was settling into a normal life. The kind of life I had when we first moved here but without the mystery of my father hanging over us.

"Do you want to come over after school?" He asked and I smiled.

"So normal. How about we do something different today?" I asked him.

"Like what?" He asked.

"Well we both know that if we go to your house, we'll end up going upstairs and we'll have sex. Don't you think we have sex enough?" I asked him and he laughed.

"We definitely have sex more than the normal high school couple. Pretty much every night when you sneak in through my bedroom window." He teased and I bumped my hip into his.

"I think we should go to the Falls." I decided. I'd only been there a couple times since I moved there and I loved all of Damon's friends. It was time I put down roots and made more friends than just Caroline and Damon.

"Ah yes, good idea. I haven't been to a party there since the whole thing with your dad started happening. The night we got back together was the last one I was at." He told me and I knew that. We hadn't been able to go since then.

"I can't believe you're finally taking me on a date." I laughed as we found a table to sit at.

"It's not really a date when I've taken you there before. My friends miss you like crazy." He told me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Caroline sitting on Tyler's lap, laughing at something the cheerleaders were saying. I was still a cheerleader, I just didn't sit with the cheerleader. I sat over here with the love of my life. Caroline flashed me a smile and I smiled back at her. We were both happier now than we'd ever been before. Mystic Falls was home.

After school I was upstairs in my bedroom trying to pick out something to wear. Caroline came into my room and lay down on my bed and smiled.

"So did you think we'd be this happy when we chose to come here at the beginning of the year?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I just planned on remaining undetected. I never planned on falling in love or having everyone know what I am. It's amazing though." I told her.

"I'm so happy we decided to stay." She told me and I agreed with her. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm trying to find something to wear to the party tonight. Damon's taking me back to the Falls." I told her.

"Ooh it'll give you two a new place to get some action since that's basically all you two do anyway." She teased as she got up to rifle through my closet. I laughed and sat down on my bed while she worked her magic. Over her shoulder she tossed me my always worn straight leg jeans and my stripper boots as she called them. They were platform with a three inch heel, it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen to wear them in the woods. But then again I knew she would use the excuse that I'm a vampire and I could navigate the terrain no problem. A sprained ankle is just a mere inconvenience to a vampire. I had to look hot. I've clearly been spending too much time with Caroline, if I can predict what her exact words would be if I was to argue her choices. She tossed me this lacy crop top that was only cropped so it showed a few inches of stomach, just above my belly button, and my leather jacket.

"This is what I should wear to the Falls?" I asked dubiously and she shrugged.

"You'll look hot and it'll make Damon all proud to be escorting the most beautiful girl in the world." She told me with a shrug. "Besides you won't get cold, you're a vampire."

"I know there is no point in arguing with you about clothes because you're always right Miss Forbes." I said as I started stripping out of my current outfit right in front of her. When I had my outfit on she clapped and gave herself a pat on the back.

"You are far too hot for your own good. It's really not fair." She said with a shake of her head. I laughed and put the boots on even though I was still unsure about her choice of footwear. Caroline could wear heels all day every day no matter where she went but I wasn't sure if I was like that or not. I was an equestrian boot kind of girl, not a three inch stripper boot girl.

At 6:30 Caroline left to go have dinner with Tyler's parents. She gave me a wink on her way out telling me to have fun. She got the car tonight since Damon was picking me up in around an hour. Damon showed up earlier than usual and he walked in without knocking.

"Holy shit my girl is hot. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep my hands off of you tonight." He said appraising me.

"You're not meant to keep your hands off of me." I told him.

"What if I was to put my hands on you right now?" He asked coming over to me and putting his hands on my sides where my shirt wasn't covering me.

"We have a little time before the party." I hinted and he laughed.

"Yes!" He cheered.

"We can make out a little." I told him. These jeans were tight, I didn't relish the idea of taking them off and putting them back on again so soon.

"We can make out a lot." He bargained as he went and sat down on the couch pulling me behind him. I couldn't argue with him when he pulled me onto his lap. I adjusted myself so I was straddling him just before his lips attacked mine. Things got hot and heavy quite quickly and soon his hands were up my shirt, grasping my breasts as his tongue devoured my mouth. I was grinding on him and I could feel him hardening through his jeans.

"Shit, things are getting out of control." He said breaking our kiss.

"I can feel that." I agreed. He was so hard between us that I knew I was going to have to fix him before we went anywhere. I slid off of him and he pouted adorably for a minute before he realized what I was doing. I started undoing his pants and he raised his hips so I could pull them down along with his boxer briefs. I dropped down to my knees and took him in my mouth and laved my tongue against him. He shouted at the first touch of my tongue but I knew this was the quickest way to get him off and we were on a schedule. I swallowed around him and did everything in my repertoire to get him off in record time.

"Elena, holy shit." He said when he suddenly exploded in my mouth. I swallowed him down quickly before releasing him and tucking him back inside his pants.

"It's time to go." I told him offering him my hand and pulling him up. He redid his pants and took my hand as we left the house.

"I still want to fuck tonight." He mentioned as we left the house.

"Don't worry, we will. We'll find a quiet secluded place to do it." I promised.

"At the party?" He asked excitedly.

"If that's what you what." I laughed.

"It's what I want." He told me and I laughed again.

"Well look who finally made a reappearance." One of the guys said when we walked in clapping Damon on the back.

"And he brought his girl back." Another one said as we headed over to the beer. Damon poured me a cup then one for himself.

"Girl, when you beat the keg stand record you have to start showing up more. It's the rules, you became one of us when you did the stand but then you disappear." Another guy said to me and I laughed.

"I'm here now. I need to see if someone can ever beat my record." I told him.

"How did you beat Damon's record? You're so small." He said and I laughed.

"You haven't heard the rumours about me?" I asked and he shrugged.

"We don't really associate with the town so much." He shrugged.

"Then my secret will stay secret." I said liking that there was still a group of people who didn't know about the undead part of me. After visiting for a while Damon took me for a walk and I knew he was looking for a place we could be alone for a little while.

"Salvatore, if you're looking for a place to fuck your girl go that way. Rodney has a girl out the direction you two are going." The big guy called and Damon laughed.

"Thanks for the information." Damon called back as he changed our direction and headed in the direction he told us to go. When he found us somewhere fairly secluded he backed me against a tree.

"Ooh tree sex, something new and exciting." I laughed.

"We haven't had sex against a tree yet." He said grinding into me and I laughed.

"I know, I wasn't being sarcastic this time." I laughed just before he kissed me. He got me out of my clothes quite quickly and soon my legs were wrapped around him and he was slamming to the hilt inside me. I muffled my scream against his neck and fought the urge to keep my demon hidden. He slammed into me faster than usual but it was perfect. It only took a few minutes for us to reach completion and he slumped against me against the tree.

"Wow." I laughed.

"Explosive." Damon agreed. He put me down and I put my clothes back on. When we were both decent we walked back to the party hand in hand.

"Let's always be like this." I told what.

"What horny and always wanting to get into each others pants?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well yes and no. I was going to say together and happy." I laughed.

"Yeah we can do that." He decided and I laughed.

"But being horny together isn't so bad either. We can add that too." I laughed.

"Well of course. But you know, someday I'll have to become like you. I know that and I'm totally okay with it." He told me and I smiled.

"We don't need to think about that now." I said when we returned to the party. Damon found a chair and we sat down together. If this is how my life is going to be from now on I know I'll live a happy one.


End file.
